Again, not being very bright, I assumed that being a commissioned officer in the US military automatically put me in the 'good guys' category with ATF.  Federal Law is riddled with exceptions for servicemen and provisions to ensure we were not penalized by our service to our country.  Surely GCA '68, McClure-Volkmer, etc. had similar provisions?  Fat chance.  Turns out that, according to the NFA Branch, I could not secure approval for a transfer of a Class III weapon because South Carolina law forbids ownership. "Yeah, but I'm a Texan, I carry a Texas Drivers License and am registered to vote in Texas, and I'm gonna have it shipped to Texas and stored there"  I countered.  "Doesn't matter, for NFA purposes, active duty military are residents of the states they are actually stationed/residing in", they stated very flatly. "OK, well... in three months I'm being transferred to Germany.  After that surely I revert back to being a Texan don't I?"  "No", they said. "Well. ..are you telling me that in three months I'm gonna be a GERMAN?" Bottom line is that YES, according to BATF/NFA Branch, a GI stationed in Germany was, effectively, a German for the purposes of transfer of a Tommy gun! GOTT in HIMMEL ver ist mein SCHMEISSER?

Well, like they told us in flying training, "nobody said it was going to be easy!" I called Roger back and told him about ATF's position. Like a true gentleman he offered to refund all my money. We talked for a bit and he offered to keep the Tommy gun in his vault for me until I finished my time in Deutschland. Given I didn't realize until just recently that my TSMG was originally registered as a .22 model and "converted" to .45 for sale following the Hughes Ban.  There has GOT to be a story there someplace as the upper receiver is roll-marked .45 acp.  I suspect the original .22 receiver, if it ever actually existed other than on paper was scrapped and a new .45 caliber one was produced and numbered.   It was very obvious that the first few 'agents' I spoke with wouldn't know a Thompson if you dropped it on their foot.  I don't know why it was a surprise to me that the NFA Branch of the BATF was full of individuals who were picking up a Federal paycheck only because some 'Federal Jobs' program had gotten them off welfare.

The alternatives of never owning a Tommy Gun or gambling a couple thousand dollars that this guy I had never met would still be there with my gun in three or four years, I decided to roll the dice and let him keep the gun for me.  I wasn't even smart enough to have Roger ship me all the parts to the gun other than the registered receiver and barrel assembly - unnecessary anyway as it turned out.

Oh yeah, I was also betting that the USAF would send me someplace Class III friendly when I came home from Germany.

For the three and a half years I was in Germany, I would write Roger about once a year and say hi.  He always wrote back and advised that my TSMG was resting comfortably awaiting me.  Finally the day came when the Air Force Personnel Center called me and told me where I was headed to back stateside; Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada.  HOT DAYYYUM - Nevada was (and IS) notoriously gun friendly!  Seven come Eleven... Jimmy got his Tommy Gun- almost!