The Obama Administration Finally Attacks Gun Ownership
It took a bit longer than expected, but the current administration's disdain for gun ownership by law-abiding citizens finally has gone from latent to obvious. South Korea, the Seoul government, sought to sell 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 current administration, originally approving the sale, has put the brakes on according to The Korea Times article by Jung Sung-ki of August 12, 2010. South Korea had announced the intent to sell these obsolete guns in September, 2009, September as part of efforts to boost its defense budget, saying the export of these M1 Garand and carbine rifles would start by the end of 2009.
“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.
These guns would, of course, be sold only to law-abiding citizens capable of passing a background check and whatever invasive additional restraints imposed by local and state governments. The terrorists and people with “bad intentions” are you, me, and the rest of law-abiding American citizens. Little could be more ridiculous than an administration stance that obsolete, outdated, American made surplus rifles need be withheld from law-abiding citizens. This is the same logic that compels the loss of American lives and American blood to secure Afghanistan before we decide to secure Arizona.
Anyone with a very small amount of rudimentary firearms awareness will instantly recognize that these old, historically important rifles are a very far cry from the most modern rifles, not are they suited to crime-committing. Over fifty years old, these long-guns are rifles are automatically “Curios and Relics” according to federal law 27 CFR section 478.11.
The M1 carbine has always been a short-range, defensive weapon. The .30 carbine is essentially a rimless version of the old .32 Winchester cartridge. At 100 yards, the M1 carbine can delivers groups of between 3 and 5 MOA, deemed sufficient for its intended purpose as a close-range defensive weapon. The M1 carbine is self-loading, not a machine gun, and suited mostly for self-defense. Not good enough for the Obama Administration, that feels the need to keep these away from law-abiding American citizens.
And what of the M1 Garand, designed in 1932 and produced from 1936-1957? It is an eight-shot semi-auto, and a heavy one at that. As originally issued, it weighed from 9-1/2 to 11-1/2 pounds. The last M1 Garand I acquired was made by International Harvester and was left on my front porch by the United States Federal Government. How soon we forget that Federal law enacted in 1996 (Title 36 U. S. Code, 0701-40733) that created the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, Inc. (the CMP) states, “In carrying out the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the corporation shall give priority to activities that benefit firearms safety, training, and competition for youth and that reach as many youth participants as possible.” It is the youth of the United States that our administration uses to fight its elective, optional wars. It is the youth of the United States that too often donates arms, legs, eyes, and their young lives to “American interests.” It is the youth of the United States that is being cheated of American freedoms with each passing year.
What about South Korea wanting to sell some rifles and make some money? South Korea provides land for bases and firing ranges for free, unlike Japan and other nations where U.S. troops are stationed. U.S. forces in Korea are also exempted from taxation and benefit from reduced electricity and telephone charges. There is the matter of a nice $10 billion bill for relocating U.S. army bases and facilities to south of the Han River. The American taxpayer has no clue how much we spent in South Korea, or why. We do know that the Seoul government contributed 741.5 billion won to the United States in 2007, up 45.1 billion from the previous year. It agreed to increase its level in 2008 in accordance with a rise in the consumer price index. It is beyond senseless to try to stop a legal sale of old rifles to law-abiding Americans from South Korea, particularly when we want South Korea to pay more and more of their “security costs” to the United States.
Violent crime fell significantly last year in cities across the U.S., according to FBI statistics, challenging the widely held belief that recessions drive up crime rates. The incidence of violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault was down 5.5% from 2008, and 6.9% in big cities. These early figures, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, indicate a third straight year of decreases, along with a sharply accelerating rate of decline. Yet, gun sales have soared, but less crime.
More guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens shows less crime. Facts are stubborn things. September 20, 2008 wasn't all that long ago. It was then that now V-P Biden gushed, “I guarantee you, Barack Obama ain’t taking my shotguns, so don’t buy that malarkey. They’re going to start peddling that to you. I got two, if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem.”
I know a liar when I hear one. Say it ain't so, Joe.
Copyright 2010 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.
