Korean Garands

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Cautiously optimistic.

[browningautorifle]

"Assault Weapons Ban,

That sounds right...

[Calif-Steve]

ATF objected to the Korean Garand deal. As best I know they are paid for and still in Korea. It will take action by the new President to get them here. Something in excess of 500,000 Carbines still in Korea.

[Bob Seijas]

There's a different problem going on there... we say they were foreign aid and should be returned when not needed, they say they bought these and own them so are free to sell them to one of the many dealers banging on the door. We can't prove it by serial number, there's no record. The only way to pressure them was to deny import permission, and that's where it stands. At one point they offered to return them for a "handling fee" to which CMP agreed but the Army said we don't pay fees for our own guns. So it's a stalemate.

[cipherk98]

I floated this idea in another thread that got closed, but what about the possibility they are chopped up into parts kits if this draws on? Problem is I don't know where people would find spare Garand receivers now that Century isn't making them and the fit of Inland Manufacturing/repro receivers is iffy at best. Also, could they even chop them if ownership is disputed? I am not familiar with how the US handles demilitarizing ordnance we loaned to other countries and if those other countries could even do that (and then what happens to the parts). And honestly, given they may not even be able to import the barrels (I do not understand if this regulation would apply to non machine guns) would it even be worth it...

[Brian Dick]

BATF&E has nothing to do with these decisions. It's the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, U.S. Department of State. if the new administration makes retransfer authorizations legal again by striking out Obama's executive order, then curio and relic U.S. military firearms will be importable again but ATF Imports Branch won't approve them unless they have the retransfer authorization letter from DDTC, U.S. Department of State attached.

[Bob Seijas]

There has been a bigger and better deal pending for two years, held up by DC. Now that sanity has returned, maybe we can get that one back on track. Stay tuned.

[Mark in Rochester]

Maritime Institute stacking up old Garand rifles following their drills as part of their reserve officers' training.

[Calif-Steve]

I do know ATF wrote State with an official objection. Not aware of any other official objection mail on the topic. I have heard Century paid a large down payment for the Garands. But when they could not import the Garands Century asked for their money back. At least that is the story I have heard. State Dept. belonged to Hillary Clinton and they had promised the Koreans the deal was a go. The Koreans were to purchase an air defense package from the USA. So, none of the money was going to end up in Korea. This was a complex trade deal that the Koreans and Americans negotiated in good faith. The Koreans received American agreement and it was a done-deal. Or so the Koreans thought. It will be an issue the new Administration will have to deal with.

[can14&]

We spent two years trying to get Garands out of the Philippines. The US Govt gave them m16 rifles and had them
destroy Garands as part of the deal. The US didn't own the rifles. They w ere cutting up everything, carbines,m17 ,03
Thompsons etc A lot of the stuff was mint. Have a CD we made of the guns somewhere. That is all we got for all
the money we spent. Canadian Govt didn't have any issue with it