US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles

[Gunreference1]

US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles

08-12-2010 17:08

By Jung Sung-ki

The U.S. government opposed South Korea’s bid to sell thousands of aging U.S. combat rifles to American gun collectors, a senior government official said Thursday.

The ministry announced the plan last September as part of efforts to boost its defense budget, saying the export of the M1 Garand and carbine rifles would start by the end of 2009.

The U.S. administration put the brakes on the plan, citing “problems” that could be caused by the importation of the rifles.

The problems the U.S. government cited were somewhat ambiguous, said an official at the Ministry of National Defense on condition of anonymity.

“The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions,” the official told The Korea Times.

“We’re still looking into the reason why the U.S. administration is objecting to the sale of the rifles and seeking ways to resolve the problems raised,” he said.

Critics say the ministry pushed to sell the firearms in a hasty manner without enough consultation with the U.S. beforehand, as calls were growing to increase defense expenditure.

The Seoul government sought to sell the outdated U.S guns back to the United States.

A total of 86,000 M1 rifles and another 22,000 carbines were to be sold, as the weapons have been mothballed for about five decades in military warehouses. The per-unit price of the M1 rifle is about $220 and the carbine is more than $140, according to the ministry.

M1s were made first in 1926 and used in World War II and the 1954-1975 Vietnam War. The carbines were first produced in 1941 and used during the 1950-1953 Korean War.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...205_71329.html

Steve

[AKTexas]

I knew some bureaucrat would fubar this deal for us.

[Partisan1983]

WTF ?!?!?!?



Seriously !!!!

[Helen Keller]

“SOME DOUCHEBAG insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions,” the official told The Korea Times.

Buncha Faggots .


SO who's THis "SPOKESPERSON" of the U.S. ??????????
Some overpaid piece of shit .

[Gunreference1]

Why is Obama administration blocking import of surplus rifles?

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-i...l/david-codrea

Steve

[Polish Boy]

Whats sad is now they are probably just going to chop them

[abpt1]

Whats sad is now they are probably just going to chop them

very sad indeed as bad as burning books imho .

[Arnulf]

Why is Obama administration blocking import of surplus rifles?

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-i...l/david-codrea

Steve

Because maobama hates gun totin Bible reading conservatives.

[Partisan1983]

very sad indeed as bad as burning books imho .

If they do...it's even worse than that.


It's akin to killing every pregnet female on the planet.......

[AKTexas]

This sucks even more now.Recently received email from the CMP,no more Bavarian M1 carbines available but all good on the M1 Garands on order.

[sevlex]

Wait two years and S Korea will have a friendlier administration.

[Jefferson]

Wait two years and S Korea will have a friendlier administration.

So will we.

[Gunreference1]

Washington Vetoes Korea's Re-Sale of Old Rifles to U.S.

The U.S. administration has vetoed the Korean government's plan to sell some 100,000 old M1 rifles used during the Korean War back to the United States. It also banned 850,000 M1 rifles already imported from Korea and other countries from being sold to civilians.

In order to save some W300 million (US$1=W1,181) on storing old weaponry a year, the Korean government decided to sell the 86,000 M1 Garands and 22,000 M1 Carbines to the U.S. and repeatedly asked Washington to approve the deal. The expected price was W130 billion in total, with one M1 Garand fetching US$220 and a M1 Carbine US$140. But the U.S. objected to the plan fearing that they could land in the hands of terrorists.



A Korean government official said, "It's difficult to understand why the U.S. opposes the deal now, when we already shipped tens of thousands of these firearms to the U.S. in the early 1990s. We are trying to grasp the real underlying cause of this reversal through diplomatic channels." He added that because these firearms were originally made in the U.S., selling them back needs approval from Washington.

A U.S. State Department spokesman told Fox News on Wednesday, "The transfer of such a large number of weapons... could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes."

englishnews@chosun.com / Sep. 03, 2010 11:45 KST

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/...090300985.html

Steve

[Helen Keller]

Novembers' gonna be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gunreference1]

Obama's backdoor gun ban

Government is blocking sale of historic weapons

By The Washington Times
6:29 p.m., Friday, September 3, 2010

President Obama is afraid of the M1 Garand, the U.S. rifle that helped win World War II, defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Administration officials earlier this year moved to block the government of South Korea from selling vintage U.S.-made M1 Garands and M1 carbines to eager stateside collectors.

The State Department confirmed to The Washington Times that it was considering "alternative options" to deal with the classic rifles. During the Clinton administration, such code words meant melting them down. The government in Seoul was told that this step was being taken for the protection of Americans. "The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents," a South Korean Ministry of National Defense official told the Korea Times last month.

It's hard to see how these M1 rifles could be considered risky when they already are offered for sale by the U.S. government through the Civilian Marksmanship Program. In fact, the federally sponsored CMP puts on summer camps that teach boys and girls how to handle the Garand properly and safely. In the past seven years, there hasn't been a single accident. Many of the participants go on to serve their country or take part in shooting sports at the collegiate and Olympic level.

It's more likely that the administration is seeking to win the admiration of gun grabbers. Mr. Obama has a history of supporting gun control as a state senator and U.S. senator, but he's been limited in his ability to implement this anti-gun agenda as president. Democratic members of Congress remember the federal assault-weapons ban as one of the lead issues motivating voters to turn Congress over to Republicans in 1994. Senators facing tight races in pro-gun states don't want to see a repeat of that midterm landslide. Therefore, the best way for Mr. Obama to appease the gun-grabbing fringe is to take actions that won't bring too much attention to what he's doing. As long as the destruction of these rifles stays under the public radar screen, he will have achieved his goal.

"In my opinion, the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised," Gen. George S. Patton famously said. Future generations, young and old, should have a chance to experience this piece of history at an affordable price. Congress should take action to reverse the State Department and allow these storied weapons to return home.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...kdoor-gun-ban/

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Senator Tester questions State Dept rejecting sale of antique guns

Posted: Sep 15, 2010 8:48 PM by Jon Tester press release
Updated: Sep 15, 2010 9:53 PM

Senator Jon Tester pushed the U.S. State Department to reconsider a decision denying the proposed sale of surplus firearms from South Korea to qualified buyers in the United States.

According to a news report, the State Department rejected South Korea's proposal to sell its surplus of American-made M1 Carbines and M1 Garand rifles to the U.S. over concerns that they "could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes."

Click the link below to rest the rest of the story.

http://www.kxlf.com/news/senator-tes...-antique-guns/

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Sunday, September 19th, 2010 at 8:30 am

What Obama’s Ban on the Importation of M1 Rifles From South Korea Means to Collectors

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The history of the M1 rifle is well documented, so there is no need to retell the gun’s famous history.

The truth is that it has become a highly sought after collectible. Over the past decade the prices of the M1 has increased at a pace greater than almost any other military firearm.

“It is the classic World War II weapon,” says Reefe Renforth, advanced collector and dealer of American militaria. “It hasn’t been just the last couple of years, it has been going strong for more than a decade.”

Renforth says the gun’s popularity is in part due to movies and video games.

“A lot of the interest came with the release of Saving Private Ryan and later with Band of Brothers. These created a core of ‘World War II addicts,’ and this is among the classic World War II weapons.”

Add in the fact that many of the younger generation, those who probably would have never paid much attention to World War II, learned about the exploits of the “greatest generation” from video games such as Medal of Honor and Call of Duty. The M1 remains the de facto U.S. infantry weapon in those games, and that inspired a whole new generation of collectors who were suddenly interested in the gun their grandfathers carried 60 years ago.

It is also a fact that the gun was the most widely distributed semi-automatic infantry weapon of the Second World War, and it remained in service through the Korean War and even saw use in the Vietnam War. Thus it would seem like there should be more than enough to go around. But with each conflict the M1 was sent off to service, and sadly like many soldiers not everyone returned home, at least not when the respective conflicts ended.

To read the rest of the story click the link beow.

http://www.ammoland.com/category/firearms/

Steve

[Blacksmith]

A U.S. State Department spokesman told Fox News on Wednesday, "The transfer of such a large number of weapons... could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes."



But..But
I thought all their so called “common sense gun laws” where there to prevent that from happening???

I take that as an admission that the fascist bastards have no intent of disarming criminals and that their real intent is to disarm Americans.

[Penguin]

I sure hope Korea doesn't get impatient and melt them down. That would be a cring shame. They have had them for this long, if they are smart they hold onto them for a little longer and wait for a better administration and then sell them to the US. I would love to see a boat load of these old rifles come back to the US and as a result see prices come down. I would like to pick up another M1 Garand. It is my favorite rifle to shoot but they are getting expensive.

[aliceinchains]

But the U.S. objected to the plan fearing that they could land in the hands of terrorists.

What a lame excuse! And i am sick of hearing it. Hell if the terrorists want weapons they can go to shit hole Mexico and get them .