Taking Action to Allow Import of M-1 Rifles from Korea
I'm sure many of you have heard about the large number of M-1 Garands and M-1 Carbine rifles that the South Korean government is attempting to sell to a US importer.
Little detailed information available about this issue, but here's what we know so far:
Korean Times: US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles
Fox News: Obama Administration Reverses Course, Forbids Sale of 850,000 Antique Rifles
It appears that the import ban is politically motivated. According to the Fox News article, the Obama Administration approved the import of the rifles, then quietly reversed their decision in March of this year.
That said, let's get a letter-writing campaign going to gather factual information as to why the import was denied and to demand pressure be applied to allow the rifles to be imported in compliance with current regulations. Here's a letter I sent to my two Senators and my Representative. Please feel free to excerpt or steal the whole letter for your purposes.
Please report back any concrete information you receive from your congresscritter so we can determine the next steps that should be taken.
Contact Info for Representatives
Contact Info for Senators
My letter:
EDIT: Adjusted letter to include better information which has come to light since the first draft.
I'm sure many of you have heard about the large number of M-1 Garands and M-1 Carbine rifles that the South Korean government is attempting to sell to a US importer.
Little detailed information available about this issue, but here's what we know so far:
Korean Times: US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles
Fox News: Obama Administration Reverses Course, Forbids Sale of 850,000 Antique Rifles
It appears that the import ban is politically motivated. According to the Fox News article, the Obama Administration approved the import of the rifles, then quietly reversed their decision in March of this year.
That said, let's get a letter-writing campaign going to gather factual information as to why the import was denied and to demand pressure be applied to allow the rifles to be imported in compliance with current regulations. Here's a letter I sent to my two Senators and my Representative. Please feel free to excerpt or steal the whole letter for your purposes.
Please report back any concrete information you receive from your congresscritter so we can determine the next steps that should be taken.
Contact Info for Representatives
Contact Info for Senators
My letter:
Senator XXXXXX,
In the last few months, the recreational shooting community became aware that the Obama Administration has reversed its previous decision to allow the South Korean government to sell US-manufactured World War II era rifles to an importer in the United States. This importer would then presumably offer these rifles for sale to law-abiding collectors and shooters in the USA in compliance with all existing regulations governing firearms.
A FOX News report indicates that the Obama administration has blocked their import for reasons that are unreasonable and misleading. You can see the article here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...everses-course-forbids-sale-antique-m-rifles/)
It’s important to know that there is plenty of legitimate precedent for selling historical M-1 Garand and M-1 Carbine rifles to law-abiding citizens who can legally purchase firearms. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP, http://www.odcmp.com/), a federally-chartered corporation that serves youth through gun safety and marksmanship activities, partially finances their operations by selling such rifles to citizens from US government stocks.
These relics were paid for by our tax dollars, and were carried by our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, cousins and friends, the cornerstones of “the greatest generation”. These firearms served admirably in the defense of our country and our allies, and I'm asking for your help in facilitating their return to the United States so current and future generations can enjoy and honor their history.
I request that you speak to the Obama administration to demand that they allow these firearms to be imported and sold to American citizens in compliance with current regulations. Identical firearms are legally sold to civilians every day through the CMP without incident, serving a vital and honorable role in teaching gun safety and marksmanship. The Obama Administration's objections are clearly motivated by political ideology rather than reasoned analysis.
We in the millions-strong shooting community appreciate your staunch support of Second Amendment rights, and hope to hear a statement from you soon in regards to this important issue.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
EDIT: Adjusted letter to include better information which has come to light since the first draft.
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