What if? Concerning military weapons

Big Sky Redneck

Let's say theoreticly( I know it's spelled wrong but you knew what I meant) that the US military adopts a new weapon and discontinues use of the M16s and the 5.56 Nato round. What would become of the guns? We know under current law they could not be sold to US citizens since they was made after 1986 (may be more laws I am unaware of) so that idea is out. If we change weapons would the rest of the Nato countries change as well? Who would get these guns? Is it possible to petition our gov to sell these now surplus guns to us as a transferable gun? Am I dreaming here?

D@D

Probably to some small country with the highiest bid.

p3skyking

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quote:Am I dreaming here?
Yes
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mark christian

You are dreaming. First off, if we do spend billions to replace the M16 as our service rifle nearly all of them will simply go back to the DoD and into storage as another Catagory A service rifle (like the M14 is today). At worst these rifles would be catagorized as Standard B which is currently used to classify the Air Forces older AR-15/M16 rifles which remain in inventory and have not been disposed of, even with the adoption of newer M16A2. Some M16s would of course be supllied to our allies as military assistance but I doubt that NATO would make a major weapons change to follow our lead today as they did during the Cold War. The 1986 cut off means that no new machineguns can be registered today no matter when these firearms were produced and the registration for US service machineguns of all types ended in 1968 with the amnesty which resulted in the large numbers of M16 and M14 service rifles (marked US Property) which are transferable today, along with just about everything else marked US Property. There may be another amnesty someday, but I won't hold my breath.

Mark T. Christian

Big Sky Redneck

mark, if I write you in on the Ballot will you take the job[:D] It would be nice if an exception could be made even if just for the older M16s to help lower the price of the ones available now. I want a machine gun and am willing and able (I know this after talking to you[:D]) to go thru the steps necassary to purchase a machine gun but I want an M16, but it looks like I may have to settle for one of those cheap .45ACP thingamabobs like everyone else has[V]

mark christian

I'm sorry Lonnie but surplus machineguns are not going to be a solution to this problem even if the 1986 ban was over turned. In many years of careful research I have not found any records of the old War Department or the DoD releasing stores of surplus machineguns for sale to private citizens in the United States or through the DCM program. If it was marked US Property and full auto Uncle Sam either kept it or scraped it (what sometimes happend to that scrap is another story!). Nearlyall U.S. made machineguns registered during the 1968 amnesty were "liberated" from our military or brought back into the United States from overseas and no registered machineguns I have come across were sold by the DoD to an individual and then registered.

Mark T. Christian

Red223

I have personally cut up old M-16's while in Germany, I wouldn't count on them ever seeing the market.

They still have the old full-auto ones, not just the three shot burst in our armories.

Some have disappeared.[:D]

I recall someone whom worked in a military armory in Marks neck of the woods whom got caught not too long ago selling bolts and parts via cell phone in Cali. He was overheard by a E-9 and busted.
Wonder how much got freed?

Big Sky Redneck

I hear ya Mark, I don't know what came over me[:D] Maybe the wife slipped something into my dinner or the flu medicine I have been taking all week is making me silly, I don't know what would make me think Uncle Sam would be nice[:D][:D] I hope you got a grin while replying.