A reader yesterday made a pretty good comment that I feel I should share as a post:
History Lesson
1994 – Clinton gets the gun ban through Congress. Issues an executive order directing the Army to cease transfer of surplus-to-needs weapons and ammunition to the Department of Civilian Marksmanship. Also orders the Army to dispose of stored M14’s by foreign sale or destruction, in order to prevent their future sale through DCM.
1995 – Clinton issues executive order shutting down DCM permanently.
1996 – A newly elected Republican controlled Congress (primarliy due to Clintons’ gun ban) gives Clinton “the finger†by resurrecting the DCM as a congressionally chartered private corporation; the CMP. For political reasons the CMP is not chartered to sell the thousands of 1911’s surplussed by the switch to the M9. Doesn’t have much practical impact, though, as the company in Anniston that had been bandsawing Garands and M14s, and crushing 1911’s, had been running 3 shifts for more than a year. There are, for all practical purposes, no 1911’s left. Destruction of Garands and M14’s is halted. Remaining rifles returned to storage.
2004(ish) Army notes desperate need for long range rifle system for designated marksman program. Remaining M14’s, including most of the guns used by the USN for linethrowing and security, are returned to the depot at Crane for overhaul and re-issue to the Army.
Clinton managed to get rid of nearly 750,000 M14’s through foreign sales (at a dollar apiece) or destruction.
The domestic supply of M1 Garands was exhausted about 3 years ago. Rifles sold through CMP since then are lend-lease returns from foreign governments. Once those are gone, or if re-import is halted, thats’ it. Get ‘em while you can!
The Army is still short of DM rifles, and certainly isn’t destroying any serviceable M14’s at this point. Rumor has it that attempts are being made to repurchase some of those that were dumped overseas.
Clinton’s a fucking idiot.
What is also failed to be mentioned was that the M14 was resurrected in Iraq and used on the ground for house entries. If that rifle was disposed of by Clinton in the manner he would have in fact spent money to put our soldiers into danger. Thank God for the Republicans for halting this. Don’t get me started on the crap-can M9 (with its magical flying slide!), and destroying 1911’s- GRRRRRR!!!!!
It’s funny that you mention the DCM, CMP, and M-14 rifles. There’s currently a online petition being circulated to petition Obama to permit the sale of surplus M-14s (converted to semi-auto) to CMP for deficit reduction.
http://www.petitiononline.com/M14CMP03/petition.html
There’s currently a online petition being circulated to petition Obama to permit the sale of surplus M-14s (converted to semi-auto) to CMP for deficit reduction.
Yeah, like Obama or this Congress would EVER let that happen.
1911s are still around. Boone County, IN got some for their deputies.
(Sheriff Campbell is also a Gunsite instructor…)
I’d have to do some research, but I’m pretty sure the old DCM stopped selling 1911’s after the ’68 GCA went into effect.
A couple years ago, Orest Michaels (CMP director) responded to requests about M14’s & stated they had no interest in getting involved. Everybody knows about ATF’s ‘once a machine gun always a machine gun’ rule & there would have to be some special dispensation made.
I would also like to see some links to show that the DCM was shutdown before it was privatized by Congress. That doesn’t jibe with what I’ve read in the past.
Here’s a smaller suggestion that might actually be workable: The Clinton administration did stop the sale of surplus ammunition that was not obsolete. Currently 5.56 & 7.62 ammo has to be disassembled, powder destroyed & the components sold separately. If we could convince them to sell the surplus ammo thru the CMP, it would help keep them financially viable & return a valuable source of quality ammo to the market.
I know for a fact that my local FFL dealer had a pallet of M14 stocks he bought as surplus. They were sitting in a storage room until the military bought the entire pallet back from him earlier this year.