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quote:
The South Korean government, in an effort to raise money for its military, wants to sell nearly a million antique M1 rifles that were used by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War to gun collectors in America.

The Obama administration approved the sale of the American-made rifles last year. But it reversed course and banned the sale in March – a decision that went largely unnoticed at the time but that is now sparking opposition from gun rights advocates.

A State Department spokesman said the administration's decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands.

"The transfer of such a large number of weapons -- 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines -- could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes," the spokesman told FoxNews.com.

"We are working closely with our Korean allies and the U.S. Army in exploring alternative options to dispose of these firearms."

Gun control advocates praised the Obama administration for taking security seriously.

"Guns that can take high-capacity magazines are a threat to public safety," said Dennis Henigan of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Even though they are old, these guns could deliver a great amount of firepower. So I think the Obama administration's concerns are well-taken."

But gun rights advocates point out that possessing M1 rifles is legal in the United States -- M1s are semi-automatics, not machine guns, meaning the trigger has to be pulled every time a shot is fired -- and anyone who would buy a gun from South Korea would have to go through the standard background check.
http://www.foxnews.com/politic...les/?test=latestnews

Maybe its religion next?


http://www.religiousfashion.org/hare-krishna/
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Like teyates said these guns are over 50 years old and considered to be a very accurate weapon which was widely used in WW2. A very good collectors item which I have wanted as well but could not get my hands on one for a reasonable price. They are semi-automatic clip fed like most deer guns, but do have a bigger clip. A very historic weapon like the Mauser rifle.
quote:
Originally posted by b50m:
He does that regularly.

Why does our government have control over what another government sells?

They have control of them because the US government gave them to the South Koreans in the Korean War. They also can control the fact that they are sold here in the US by limiting their importation.
They cannot however control their sale elsewhere in the world, unless we take them back and destroy them, which is probably what will happen to a beautiful piece of histroy.
I only hope they don't end up in the hands of terrorists on the black market somewhere, though there are far deadlier weapons that the terrorists want, I doubt there is a big market for a 50 year old semi-auto.
This ban is ridiculous.
Last edited by teyates
quote:
Originally posted by tada:
Like teyates said these guns are over 50 years old and considered to be a very accurate weapon which was widely used in WW2. A very good collectors item which I have wanted as well but could not get my hands on one for a reasonable price. They are semi-automatic clip fed like most deer guns, but do have a bigger clip. A very historic weapon like the Mauser rifle.


Also one of the few weapons where clip is an accurate description of the object used to hold the rounds for the rifle. And it honestly doesn't hold that many more rounds than a typical deer rifle 8 rounds in the Garand as compared to 5 or so in a hunting rifle. Kind of a shame
quote:
Originally posted by JuanHunt:
The guns should be moved to Iraq and sold to any Iraqi citizens that desire to keep and bear arms. Citizen militias would certainly help suppress sectarian violence.


Why would they want a semi-automatic when they can get a fully auto AK-47 easier with lots of ammo. Heck they practically hand them out as freely as they do the Koran. Probably....
quote:
Originally posted by tada:
quote:
Originally posted by JuanHunt:
The guns should be moved to Iraq and sold to any Iraqi citizens that desire to keep and bear arms. Citizen militias would certainly help suppress sectarian violence.


Why would they want a semi-automatic when they can get a fully auto AK-47 easier with lots of ammo. Heck they practically hand them out as freely as they do the Koran. Probably....


The AK's are for terrorists only. The average citizen needs a weapon for home protection. And these are fine weapons for that purpose, and they're already paid for. This idea will have many positive repercussions for the Iraqi people. The right to keep and bear arms is at the foundation of democratic principles.
quote:
quote:
Originally posted by JuanHunt:
The guns should be moved to Iraq and sold to any Iraqi citizens that desire to keep and bear arms. Citizen militias would certainly help suppress sectarian violence.



Why would they want a semi-automatic when they can get a fully auto AK-47 easier with lots of ammo. Heck they practically hand them out as freely as they do the Koran. Probably....


The Iraqi public doesn't need free weapons to protect themselves; they already have them. Apparently Bush trusted Iraqi's more than Obama trusts US citizens:

quote:
The directive, however, did allow ordinary Iraqis to retain some light arms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns.

At the time, the list of automatic weapons to be banned specifically included AK-47 Kalashnikovs, the Russian assault rifles that are nearly ubiquitous in Iraq. But that approach came under heavy criticism from many Iraqis, who argued that families and business owners badly needed the weapons to defend themselves from looters and organized criminal gangs.

That criticism apparently had an effect. Under a two-week amnesty program that begins on Sunday, Iraqis are being urged to voluntarily bring in prohibited weapons to police stations around the country. But an Arabic-language flyer now being distributed in neighborhoods says Iraqi citizens can keep certain automatic weapons inside their homes and businesses.

Asked today whether Iraqis would be allowed to keep assault rifles in their homes, a spokesman for Mr. Bremer said, "Yes, they will be allowed to keep their AK-47's."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06...dspecial/01IRAQ.html

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