Could have been to prevent troops from carrying away stolen civilian owned hunting rifles or personal handguns not connected to the military, even any such still remained after wartime confiscations.
I have heard of a civilian police revolver being seized from a trooper. Of course they had to put the civilian cops back on the streets, some military police as well, in Germanyicon at least.

My Nieghbor told of all weapons found in towns he went through laid out in the street and run over by tanks. He tried to snag a nice engraved Drilling but his officer made him throw it back in the street.
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