Elvis Memorabilia Triggers Gun Tussle

A British museum is facing a battle with the government over its plan to import a collection of handguns once owned by Elvis Presley.

The museum wants to display the guns but has to prove it is complying with Britain's tough firearm laws.

The Home Office says it wants to know more about how the guns will be transported from the United States and how they will be safeguarded at the museum.

The six guns include a World War II Colt pistol, one of a set of three owned by Elvis. The King of Rock 'n' Roll presented one of the other two to U.S. President Richard Nixon on a visit to Washington in 1970.

They also include a Golden Beretta pistol which Elvis went to extraordinary lengths to buy.

"Elvis saw it, wanted it but could not persuade the owner to sell it to him," said Jerry Goldman, director of Liverpool's Click Heremuseum -- home to the largest collection of Elvis memorabilia outside the United States.

"Eventually the guy decided to sell his house. So Elvis offered him a good price for the house but made it a condition that the handgun was part of the deal."

"As usual, Elvis got his way."

Also in the collection is a Derringer pistol which Elvis carried down the side of his boot when on stage, and a Smith & Wesson engraved with Elvis' motto: "Taking Care of Business."

"He was a fanatic for collecting and using guns," Goldman told Reuters.

"We've all heard the stories of Elvis sitting watching television and shooting the screen out if he didn't like the program.

"But he also used to shoot at his cars if they failed to start and he used to shoot at squirrels from the comfort of his toilet seat at his home in Graceland."

Goldman says the U.S. owner of the guns has already agreed to loan them to the Liverpool museum.

"They'll be on the plane as soon as we can get permission from the Home Office...," he said.

The government has not said how long that will take..

Britain tightened its gun laws following the Dunblane massacre of 1996, when a man broke into a school in Scotland and opened fire on a class full of children, killing 16 of them, along with one teacher and himself.

"The government quite rightly felt the need to rush through legislation after Dunblane but I guess in that process no one took into account this type of usage," Goldman said.

If the museum were to try to import the collection now, he says, it would probably be stopped at customs and sent back to the United States.

Presumably it would be marked with the title of one of Elvis' biggest hits -- "Return to Sender."

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