Germany again tightens rules governing (American's) privately-owned firearms

[Tamara]

T. Stahl,

I pretty much agree with everyone else who suggests we can draw down our commitments in Germany now that the Red Horde is unlikely to come pouring through the Fulda Gap. There's really no need to keep heavy divisions there any longer. If anything, due to our probable long-term commitments in the Near East, we should look for an island in the Med to lease depot facilities on.

But while our troops are there, they are bound by the civil laws of their host nation. As M67 pointed out, an FFL in the US can't sell a visiting 18 year-old German troop a handgun.

Does a serviceman from Vermont stationed in California get to follow Vermont gun laws while there?

 

[T.Stahl]

Benewton, you are repeating yourself:

www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=131866&pagenumber=2

 

[2nd Amendment]

The German government is neither our subject nor much of an ally. Like most of Europe they are simply a drain on money and resources and while I'd welcome many of those European individuals here i'd as soon we let their governments sink under their own weight.

 

[denfoote]

Their country, their laws, why are we wasting breath over it...

Exactly!!! Why then don't we get the (vulgar for human copulation) out!!!!!
Let these European countries take care of their own security!! They were all hot to form the EU, why not let them do it!! If they want to get into another war with some two bit dictator that has ruffled their feathers, let 'em!!!

Bring our boys and girls home!!!! Stay out of foreign entanglements!!!

 

[Rotorhead]

Don and Tam,

I can see your point about their country their rules but where do you draw the line? Their justice system? Why do I have to give up all my rights while I'm outside conus defending yours? No flame just wondering?

Former Fulda speed bump trooper.

 

[Tamara]

Suppose a serviceman gets posted to Japan or Korea?

Compared to those duty stations, Germany is a gun-lover's paradise.

 

[Rotorhead]

Kinda like moving to CA. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth and sick feeling in your gut. BTW your island in the Med idea was being used, when we shut down Fulda all the equip was placed on what they call preposition float (prepo float). Probably about the same money as buying an island in the med.

 

[Bahadur]

Odessa:

The less a country needs us the more restrictive the SOFA's will become (i.e., present day Germany).

Outstanding point! Note the clamorings of SOFA "update" from ROK government.

Back when the US forces withdrew from RVN, the ROK government was pretty panicked about the US commitment to Asia and wanted the US forces to stay practically at any cost.

Now that the ROK economy and military capabilities have increased tremendously (certainly it outspends North Korea on defense by several orders of magnitude), its outlook on SOFA has changed accordingly.

Tamara:

Suppose a serviceman gets posted to Japan or Korea?

Compared to those duty stations, Germany is a gun-lover's paradise.

Exactly! There is, however, one bright spot for a gun-missing American in Korea - Cheju Island. Though the prices are nearly extortionate, one can shoot a variety of firearms there (nothing much really, but...). More importantly, the pheasant hunting there at the right time of the year can be quite good.

 

[Marko Kloos]

The current German government is just one generation away from being Nazis

On what facts do you base that observation?

I've lived in both countries for a long time, and I can tell you that the U.S. government is a few steps closer to totalitarianism than the German government...thanks to the War On Some Drugs, and now the War on Terror and the PATRIOT act. If things continue at this pace, the US will resemble the Third Reich before Germany does. At least the German government doesn't routinely send kitten stompers to kick in people's doors and shoot women over an unpaid $5 tax.

 

[T.Stahl]

Before anyone gets the wrong idea:
I am in favour of American troops in Germany.
a) The nearby 557th Arty Group/96th Ordnance made my time in the Supply Bn 320, Special Weapons, much more interesting. Until they moved the nuke warheads back to the US.
b) AFN is much less infested with HipHop or Techno than German stations.
c) It gave me the opportunity to shoot the M16 and M4.

I understand both sides.
The German legislature that wants the same law applying to everyone who lives inside the German border. It makes live easier for them, less exceptions.
On the other hand I have a lot of sympathy for the American soldiers. I'd be rather...err...unhappy if I'd be assigned someplace where I couldn't take my guns with me.

I'm very...err...unhappy with the way the German government treats our own armed forces. We have 30% the population of the US, but only 10% the defence funds for about 20-25% the soldiers. And then someone wonders why need the help of the Americans to treat with an indeed purely European problem like the Balkans, which we Europeans should be able to solve ourselves.


Re: Moving the US facilities to the Eastern members of NATO.
Ask your service members where they'd like to live - Germany or Poland?

 

[Tamara]

lendringser,

I think he meant one generation in the other direction...