Quote:
Originally Posted by David R
A current example I have heard of is that native Tibetans are allowed Matchlocks but not modern guns by the Chinese government Matchlocks are adequate for hunting but are not considered a threat to the local government forces.
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That might have been true a half-century ago, but in more recent media images I have noted show Tibetan nomads allowed to keep arms for hunting carrying bolt-action Mosin-Nagant M1891s and Mauser Mod. 1898s from the pre-World War II era, with native-made bipod barrel legs added to the forestocks in traditional fashion. The rifles are chambered for calibers formerly used by Nationalist and Communist forces in China for much of the last century so ammunition supply must not have been a problem, indeed it is possible that they were supplied by the authorities since besides hunting, there isn't much of a livelihood for these people besides herding yaks and other animals.