Civilian 7.62 To Be "Outlawed" By The UN

[Alan de Enfield]

I thought I'd already posted this (but cannot see it) - if its been moved - sorry to re-post, but I believe its relevant to Enfield owners.

Its not a case of 'Chicken Little' - I read a lot on these long dark winter nights and no good news ever seems to be reported.

To save you opening a 74meg document I'd copied it verbatim - if you want to see the original, click the link.

Target Shooter Magazine – December 2009

Target Shooter December

5.56 and 7.62mm ‘Outlawed’
A perennial question is about the difference if any between 7.62X51mm and .308 Winchester (or 5.45X45mm and .223 Remington). And while there are small differences primarily in the chamber and barrel throat forms, they are so nearly indistinguishable that the UK national police firearms licensing computer uses both terminologies together either side of an oblique to avoid problems if an FAC variation is for one, but the firearm is marked and proof-tested for the other. This applies particularly to British and Commonwealth TR (‘Target Rifle’) rifles that were classed as 7.62mm until recently, although current builds or recently rebarrelled examples now bear the .308 Winchester descriptions.

None of this would be of any great import if it weren’t for the United Nations having started a crusade against international movements of military small arms and ammunition except on a government-to-government basis. The problem is that 5.56 and 7.62mm are classified as ‘military’ period, no matter that it’s a single-shot target rifle and your pride and joy. This is a particular problem for anybody traveling across international boundaries as an early result has been airlines, through their international regulator IATA, accepting these rules and refusing to carry anything so marked or documented, even if on a dual basis as in ‘7.62mm / .308 Winchester’. The next worry is that as countries sign up to the various UN accords on this issue, we’ll suddenly discover that somebody has done this for the UK and unwittingly made ownership of every .308 Win rifle in the country illegal as our FACs invariable use the dual title in listing the weapons held. In any event ICFRA, the international target shooting body which regulates full bore rifle including our ‘Target Rifle’ and F-Class, has deleted all reference to the metric versions of the two cartridges in its rules and documentation, and I imagine that applies to our NRA too.

Firearms law researcher and writer Colin Greenwood has been investigating this UN process and his findings must be deeply unsettling for all sporting and recreational firearms users. The sub-committees tasked with producing reports and recommendations that are often accepted by the UN with little or no debate are secretive, refusing to disclose their membership or the remits they are working to. They will not divulge the basis of ‘facts’ contained in their reports, how research was carried out and where, who
was interviewed and so on. One fact that is clear are that they will NOT make any distinction between civilian sporting arms, (even shotguns), and military weapons, and that they believe that arms ownership is a bad thing per se. Greenwood is convinced that this is a movement towards international civilian arms control via the back door under the cloak of keeping AKs and RPGs out of the hands of African child soldiers or guerrillas.

Things may get ‘worse’ too in that the proposed conventions seek to ban the manufacture of arms and ammunition of ANY type and ANY calibre, except by government licensed concerns which must be closely regulated. Quite right too you might think, but remember that your gunsmith is an ‘arms constructor’, and you are an ‘ammunition' manufacturer’ if you hand load. Until now, the US government has been a bastion against this sort of undemocratic backdoor control by routinely telling the UN to naff off! Not so now under Barak Obama, the State Department allegedly signaling a change of policy here, its first move being to announce that export licenses will not be issued for any barrel chambered for 5.56 or 7.62 NATO destined for a commercial end-user.

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[Badger]

Actually, Surpmil posted it in another thread and you commented on his post in the same thread ...

More Bad Press For The Enfield

Regards,
Badger

[Alan de Enfield]

Thanks Badger
Sorry Supermil

I knew I'd seen it somewhere and saved it. I thought I'd posted it - old age, late nights, cracking up !!!!

[spinecracker]

Time to stockpile 7.62x51 - actually, the time to stockpile was over 5 years ago, but I'm always late for these things lol

[Brian Dick]

I've just submitted a U.S. DSP5 export license for an L42A1 in 7.62 and the documentation requirements have indeed changed. We'll see if the rifle's status on the U.S. Curio and Relic list has any bearing on whether or not it's approved. Stay tuned for an update.

[Peter Laidler]

It seems to me Brian that plenty of US owned L42's are being re-exported lately. This is a worrying sign

[Brian Dick]

I've had no trouble up exporting L42's up to this point but did notice that ODTC asked for additional exception to policy documentation when I submitted the DSP5 on Friday. I had already guessed it was because of the caliber. I submitted a standard letter stating that it's not required for the export and we'll see what happens. It's an electronic submission and you're "feeding the machine" so to speak. I should know something this week providing there aren't any more snow storms in Washington, DC. Fingers crossed.

[Brian Dick]

Just as a note of interest: It's true that Secretary of State Clinton is quietly signing on to the UN Small Arms Treaty so this problem may well be my first experience with the brick wall that's being built to impede business in certain types of weapons. I'll keep you all informed of the FACTS and not the second hand BS. You voting Americans keep this in mind and educate your elected representatives of this nonsense. There needs to be a revolution at the ballot box in November! We don't have John Bolton at the UN anymore and the U.S. Constitution as a whole, (not just the 2nd Amendment), is in danger more than ever.

[Ramboueille]

There needs to be a revolution at the ballot box in November!

Brian,

There will be..........

[jona]

Any word if this includes 7.62 X 39? If it doesn't, then something is REALLY fishy.