GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A metal door, a window frame and a faucet were the only items dropped off at a Hamas weapons collection point Thursday, a sign the Islamic militant group faces serious trouble in getting its hands on Gaza’s estimated 400,000 firearms.

The three discarded items fell under the category of “looted government property” that Hamas also demanded be turned in along with weapons by Thursday. But it was arms the group really wanted.

Hamas leaders threatened harsh punishment for anyone caught with guns after the deadline.But in chaotic Gaza, where defeated Fatah militants are hiding out and clan grudges can flare into open warfare at any moment, few believe Hamas will recover even a fraction of the territory’s arsenal - enough to arm nearly one of every three people.Some Fatah fighters said they hid their weapons away from their homes so Hamas gunmen would not find them in searches. Some buried their weapons, including one who said he put his gun under the family chicken coop.

Others said they threw their rifles into the sea rather than risk them falling into Hamas hands.”I prefer to shoot myself rather than give them my gun. I don’t trust them at all,” said a 33-year-old Fatah-affiliated security officer, who gave his name only as Abu Subhi for fear of retaliation from Hamas.

The Islamic militants scored a major success last week by securing many of the weapons held by Gaza’s security forces, most of whom were loyal to Fatah, analysts said. Hamas fighters captured the arms stored at security headquarters and used lists of officers to collect weapons at their homes.

As part of its weapons collection campaign, Hamas sent cars with loudspeakers into the streets and made announcements from mosques warning defeated security officers not to keep their weapons. It also phoned them at home demanding their weapons and asked tribal leaders to negotiate an arms handover.