It was originally reported that South Korea wanted to sell a supply of M1 Garands and Carbines back to the U.S. and the Obama administration blocked the sale. It was later learned (via CMP) that the United States loaned South Korea the firearms through a lend-lease program so South Korea cannot sell them to the U.S. because we already own them, they simply would give the firearms back to the U.S. at such time they could then be sold to the public through CMP.
The Obama administration is still blocking the return of the firearms however, claiming they fear they will fall into the wrong hands.
"The transfer of such a large number of weapons -- 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines -- could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes," the spokesman told FoxNews.com.Enter the Washington Times editorial calling the decision "back door gun control."
The State Department confirmed to The Washington Times that it was considering "alternative options" to deal with the classic rifles. During the Clinton administration, such code words meant melting them down. The government in Seoul was told that this step was being taken for the protection of Americans. "The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents," a South Korean Ministry of National Defense official told the Korea Times last month.
There has been confusing information about this issue since the story first broke as it was based on a Korea Times report. More information as linked throughout this post has cleared up some of the confusion. As posted over on Snowflakes recently, no good can come from the administration's continued silence on the issue. It is something that gun owners should continue to follow to see if the administration is trying to find creative ways around the legislative process to gain favor with the gun ban crowd.
Hat tip to Snowflakes in Hell.
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