Under Finnish gun laws, defunct firearms are not classified as weapons, and they are exempt from the national firearms registry. Guns are considered deactivated for example when pins are drilled through barrels and chambers are jammed.
Police say collectors have no real interest in deactivated guns, most of which are mass-produced. Authorities say people looking to acquire guns illegally are the ones interested in decommissioned firearms. Russians are primary buyers of deactivated guns, according to traders.
Police are increasingly finding inoperative guns that have been converted back into being able to fire live ammunition.
"Damaged gun parts can easily be replaced," says Markus Weckström, a seasoned gunsmith.
While government is looking to tighten rules governing deactivated guns, thousands of these firearms--some of which have been reactivated to discharge bullets--are currently in circulation.