Chris Johnson shows off an M1903 rifle at his home, where he operates gun repair ﬁrm His Arms LLC. The business’s location was approved last month by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. (Jonathan Hunley for The Washington Post)

Chris Johnson is a historic preservationist. But he doesn’t toil in old buildings or frequent archaeological digs. Johnson’s passion is working on guns from the past.

He has a particular interest in the M1 Garand, the main U.S. military rifle used in World War II and the Korean War. And he’s turning his hobby into a home-based business after getting permission last month to do so from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

Johnson is employed by a government contractor, but he also was in the Army, so he’s beenbelieved that helped the U.S. win World War II,” he said.

Mass production of the M1 Garand began in 1937, according to the Garand Collectors Association, and it became obsolete two decades later.

But it continued to be used around the world through the Vietnam era, according to the website for the Missouri-based organization. The rifle was named for its Canadian-born designer, John Garand.