Given a friendly Administration, I could see the CMP selling M16 "parts kits" consisting of everything except the stripped lower receiver, and the auto sear, selector, hammer, trigger, and disconnector. You are right, though, in that the politics make this an unlikely possibility.After that the government will simply give away or destroy M16's with no recourse to selling them to the public, all because of politics. Nobody will discuss or allow removing the auto sears on them, disabling the pin hole, and then making them "permanently" semi auto. It's not the actual mechanical work that's difficult, it's accepting the results. At present too many influential shooters go right along with the ATF and gun banners agreeing "once a machine gun always a machine gun."
If you oppose converting M16's to semi auto you support closing down the CMP.
Tirod wrote:
The next liberal administration will finish off what previous ones started. And you were warned.
Atla wrote:
...wood and steel have soul.
Why? The Hughes Amendment (18 USC 922(o)) carves out an exception for guns that were "lawfully possessed" by May 19, 1986. Surely ownership by the government was "lawful possession." As if that wasn't enough, 922(o) also carves out transfers by an agency of the United States (which is what the CMP is). The registry would not have to be reopened for the CMP to sell machine guns. All that would be needed would be the political will. Unfortunately, no politician would want to be saddled with "ordering the government to sell machine guns to the public."What would be interesting would be if the CMP was allowed to auction off surplus NFA weapons using NFA rules. I imagine they still have BAR's and Browning Machine Guns as well as submachine guns. That would get some interest. It would require opening the NFA registry though.
That's true, but, at least in theory, the CMP could sell machine guns if the NFA rules were followed. It could sell fully-automatic M14's right now as long as the buyers were willing to pay the transfer tax and wait for ATF approval. Of course the CMP won't do this because it has to answer to its political bosses.Once an MG, always an MG.
Yes it would.The registry would not have to be reopened for the CMP to sell machine guns.
Yes.is there a concrete reason why CMP won't be getting the Korean rifles?
Why? The Hughes Amendment (18 USC 922(o)) carves out an exception for guns that were "lawfully possessed" by May 19, 1986. Surely ownership by the government was "lawful possession." As if that wasn't enough, 922(o) also carves out transfers by an agency of the United States (which is what the CMP is). The registry would not have to be reopened for the CMP to sell machine guns. All that would be needed would be the political will. Unfortunately, no politician would want to be saddled with "ordering the government to sell machine guns to the public."