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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 4:20
PM
Subject: Magazine ban affects US
military
http://www.defense-training.com/quips/8Apr04.html
8
Apr 04
Informed comments from a friend who manufacturers
rifles:
"I was invited to a conference at the Naval Surface Warfare
Center in Indiana last year. The purpose of the conference was to provide
those of us in the U S domestic gun industry with knowledge of problems our
government is having with the currently issued M4 Carbine.
A government
official told us that their internal model shop wanted to build a run of M4
carbines chambered for 30 Soviet (7.62X39), as USSOCM, referring to the
current M4 (chambered for 223), has stated that, 'It has never met our
requirements.' He then showed us a 30-round, 7.62x39mm magazine, which fit an
M4 receiver. He asked if any of us could manufacture this magazine, as the
'magazine ban' had driven the original manufacturer out of business. We all
expressed our opinions about the magazine ban and the politicians who
supported it and, to a man, assured him that none of us were interested in the
least, under present laws. He nodded his head in reluctant
acknowledgment.
Some courageous manufacturers have developed the 6.8mm
cartridge. This cartridge is an improvement over the 30 Soviet, and a vast
improvement over the 223. This round and military rifles chambered for
it are desperately needed for our armed forces right now, particularly with
our current active deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. The immediate hold up
is the fact that no domestic manufacturer wants to make this new rifle, if
they can only sell it to the government. With no prospect of civilian sales,
there is zero interest in this undertaking among American manufacturers, like
me. So, critical progress is now stalled and will be for the foreseeable
future.
We thus see how the 'ban' is significantly harming our troops
and the nation's ability to successfully prosecute a war. It has never, nor
does it currently, impacted violent crime in the slightest. Everyone
needs to contact their Senators and Congressmen and demand that the 'ban' be
allowed to sunset.
Sometime, before we get into a big war, the US
military needs to get rid of our current generation of 'varmint rifles' and
start issuing real rifles. We need to do it now, while we have the
chance."
Comment: Thank heaven the Big War hasn't started yet. When it
does, pray we are ready!
/John
Modestly informed comment;
Aren�t there other armaments that are unique to the requirements of
warfare? Those many items
necessary to the defense of our nation are produced and exist without being
produced for the population at large. With all the manufacturing jobs being
lost in this country, it seems there might be a few who could figure out how
to provide a product that the government wants/needs.
The answer wasn�t that your friend or some of their associates couldn�t
provide the product(s) in question, it seems the answer was, they weren�t
interested �under present laws� & . ��.� none of us were interested in the
least, under present laws��.�
It doesn�t seem likely the government would be interested in issuing a
manufacturing contract which would require the supplier to violate law(s).
Doesn�t sound like a very patriotic attitude on the part of those firearms
manufacturers, sounds more like blackmail. If our soldiers really are in need
of an improved product, any good American company would, (indeed I could say
should), do every thing possible to bid on and proudly produce the best
possible weapon appropriate to the specs agreed upon. Some folks even look on
government contracts as lucrative. The potential to be an exclusive or even a
major supplier of something as simple as a �magazine� to the US government,
even without consideration of patriotism will receive plenty of attention.
It�s a monetary consideration, capitalism not politics that can and will solve
the problem.
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