Obama administration opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles

I think we're missing some very important information here.

These "Korean" rifles are actually lend-lease rifles owned by the United States government. We sent the guns to our allies in many nations around the world after World War II. For example, if memory serves, the guns the CMP is selling right now are returns from Greece.

The real issue is about whether the Koreans can legally sell back to us property that's already ours. Obviously, if their intent is to sell rifles that we loaned them for free, then it's appropriate and prudent for the government to block their sale. That said, they should work to re-import the guns so they can be sold to collectors, but I agree with the stance that they shouldn't be re-sold to an importer, since the Koreans don't own them.

Now that said, this quote is a little ominous:

Quote : The problems the U.S. government cited were somewhat ambiguous, said an official at the Ministry of National Defense on condition of anonymity. “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.

But notice that it's from an unattributed source, in an unknown position (an official?) who goes on to say that he/she still doesn't know the real reason they rejected the imports.

Also, it's quite prudent for the administration to be concerned about the weapons falling into evil hands - this "objection" could have been as simple as a request for the Koreans to define how they were going to ensure the security of the shipment while in transit. Maybe the administration's concern was about a container-load of M1 Garands turning up missing when it comes time to unload the boat. I think we can all agree that despite their age, M1 Garands and M1 Carbines are still formidable weapons, and we sure want to make sure that they don't get snatched in transit.

Quote : “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. Critics say the ministry pushed to sell the firearms in a hasty manner without enough consultation with the U.S. beforehand, as calls were growing to increase defense expenditure.

I'm as wary of the Obama administration as anyone, but come on, guys - let's live in the world of facts, not a world of jumping at shadows. The best thing we can all do is to call our congressmen and calmly and rationally request they look into the status of this issue for us.