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DEWAT is an American term, no? DEactivated WAr Trophy.

If may have been a unnecessary necessity in the face of officialdom. There is a story about a Canadian full-auto collector who is subject to home inspections as per the details of the Firearms Act. The bureaucrat arrives at the man's house at a prearranged time, and starts ticking boxes on a checklist form. Locks, check. Alarm, check. Gun safe, check. etc To expedite the inspections, the owner has magnetic stickers that say, 'Gun Safe' and 'Ammunition Locker' and 'MG bolts'. Perhaps a previous owner of the BREN had had enough stupid questions that he engraved DEWAT in the body of the former firearm as a way of deflection.