Clint’s Where Eagles Dare MP40 is handed into police under gun amnesty

A man walks into a Bridgwater Police Station and hands in a prop sub-machine gun and says it was used by Clint Eastwood in a movie while disguised as a Nazi…

It sounds like the opening line to a joke, right? Except, it happens to be all true.

Police holding a weapons amnesty was stunned after a man handed in Clint Eastwood's MP40 machine gun he used in the film 'Where Eagles Dare'. Avon and Somerset Police say the prop German sub-machine gun was dropped at Bridgwater Police Station by an unnamed man who worked in the film industry. He told officers the MP40 sub-machine gun was used by Eastwood in the movie while he was disguised as a Nazi. Richard Vise evidential property and stores manager, said: 'A man walked into the station claiming to work in the film industry. 'He said the machine gun was used by Clint Eastwood in Where Eagles Dare. He said it was a prop which we have since confirmed. It could be valuable.'

Mr Vise added that the majority of guns will be destroyed. More interesting items including the Eastwood gun will go to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Twelve WWII handguns - including a Colt.45, Walther P38 and Russian semi-automatic Tokarev - were also collected by Avon and Somerset police. The force received 220 weapons in the amnesty, which started on November 13 and ended on November 26

My thanks to our friend Alwyn for sending this story to me.