Authorities have confiscated the firearm after its appearance alarmed members of the public.

On Saturday, July 11, an assistant police officer noticed the man walking around Tallinn's Old Town and, after challenging him, discovered he was carrying a genuine MG3 general-purpose machine gun, along with ammunition.

Anders Allandi, head of the proceedings service at the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) North Prefecture, confirmed that, according to initial assessments, both the weapon itself and the cartridges the individual had with them had indeed been mechanically rendered incapable of firing.

While the man said the weapon had been deactivated and that he simply wanted to take pictures with it, visibly displaying even a deactivated weapon in public is illegal, given members of the public and even the authorities cannot tell at first glance that it is not an operational firearm.

While no firearms license is required for this type of weapon, Allandi went on, documentation certifying that it has been properly deactivated is still required, and the PPA is currently checking whether valid documentation exists.

It is not clear whether the man will be getting the weapon and ammunition back, since, as a general rule, the PPA seeks to destroy items used to commit any offense if they are not being retained as evidence in any case—though that first decision can be challenged.

The PPA reminds members of the public that if they spot anything resembling a weapon in an inappropriate setting or being handled by someone other than an authorized member of the authorities, they should call the emergency number, 112, immediately.

The MG3 is German-made and uses NATO-standard 7.62 mm ammunition.

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