Posted on 07/19/2014 9:00:05 AM PDT by Jed Eckert
On Wednesday—a day before the Malaysian airliner was shot down—President Obama quietly signed an executive order targeting Russian oil, natural gas, finance and defense companies. Hidden in the details, was a section that effectively bans AK-47s. As always, the devil is in the details, so read on for the straight scoop.
While signing an executive order to impose new sanctions on Russia, President Obama used his pen to also further his agenda of gun control by including a ban of parts used to build or repair Russian AK-47s. That is the headline and certainly bad news for the gun community. The order immediately will have an effect on Concern Kalashnikov.
KALASHNIKOV CONCERN (a.k.a. CONCERN KALASHNIKOV; a.k.a. IZHEVSKIY MASHINOSTROITEL’NYI ZAVOD OAO; f.k.a. IZHMASH R&D CENTER; f.k.a. JSC NPO IZHMASH; f.k.a. NPO IZHMASH OAO; a.k.a. OJSC CONCERN KALASHNIKOV; f.k.a. OJSC IZHMASH; f.k.a. SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION IZHMASH JOINT STOCK COMPANY), 3, Derjabin Pr., Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic 426006, Russia; Registration ID 1111832003018 [UKRAINE2].
Concern Kalashnikov’s U.S. importer is RWC Group. The new ban will include Izhmash rifles—rimfire and centerfire bolt-action rifles—and semi-automatic Saiga rifles and shotguns based on the Kalashnikov action. Fortunately, there are a few facts in which gun enthusiasts may find some solace. First, the law only applies to Russian made AKs. Therefore, all AK’s and parts imported from other countries are still legal. Second, Executive Order 13662 does not impact any firearms or parts that have already been imported—well almost…it seems there was a gray area regarding item already imported, but which money was still owed to Concern Kalashnikov.
The obvious question of transactions in progress was immediately raised, and the Treasury Department offered a quick clarification:
374. If I own a Kalashnikov product, is that product blocked by sanctions? Am I able to resell a Kalashnikov product at a gun show or other secondary market?
If a U.S. person is in possession of a Kalashnikov Concern product that was bought and fully paid for prior to the date of designation (i.e., no payment remains due to Kalashnikov Concern), then that product is not blocked and OFAC sanctions would not prohibit the U.S. person from keeping or selling the product in the secondary market, so long as Kalashnikov Concern has no interest in the transaction. New transactions by U.S. persons with Kalashnikov Concern are prohibited, however, and any property in which Kalashnikov Concern has an interest is blocked pursuant to OFAC’s designation of Kalashnikov Concern on July 16, 2014. If a U.S. person has an inventory of Kalashnikov Concern products in which Kalashnikov Concern has an interest (for example, the products are not fully paid for or are being sold on consignment), we advise that U.S. person to contact OFAC for further guidance on handling of the inventory. [7-16-2014]
In plain English, it means as long as you own the product and do not owe Kalashnikov Concern any money for it, you are clear of the executive order, can shoot, sell or do whatever you please with the firearm or part within the limits of the existing laws. However, if you have any product on consignment, layaway, or what-have-you, you’ll have to work it out with Kalashnikov Concern—without running afoul of the federal government.
The purpose of the executive order was to sanction Russia for actions relating to the Ukraine. However, this is unlikely to move the needle on that front, but will certainly impact the future of RWC Group and the American jobs it provides. As of the time of this writing, RWC is expected to release a statement in the coming days. However, by the time of this article’s publication, it may already be available.
Now just gang members will have AK’s....Boy! That’ll show those Russians Obama. Umm, umm!
I would question whether this is legal but then who is going to stand up in congress and dispute it???
The deluge is starting.
I hope someone is keeping count.
God save us in the next two years from his phone, his pen and his marxist agenda.
Leni
Well, I guess my China made MAK-90 is ok then.
Patiently waiting for the jack booted kick at my door.
Well I think it violates the property rights of people who already own them
Reading the firearms boards, the wholesale prices about doubled immediately. (They're still cheap, just not as cheap.)
I see that Obama didn't cut off imports of strategic minerals from Russia -- he's not -- make that all of his advisers are not -- that stupid -- and we import very little oil from Russia.
The problem with these in-laws is that they NEVER get overturned. This ban under the guise of sanctions will be the only part of these “sanctions” still enforced in five years.
“Non-laws” stupid auto correct.
And unless ANYONE of the gonadless GOP leadership stop this immediately Obama’s foot is in the door to ban firearms. First just foreign. Like Beretta, Bersa, and XD. Then why stop there? Ban crossing state line?
Who will stop him? Eric Holder??? John Boner?
As a silver lining, someone must see this as an entrepreneurial opportunity. The design of the AK-47 is no secret, and surely some robotic factory is on the build as we freep.
I sense opportunity, for someone to back-engineer the existing design, and produce the same or very similar product domestically.
What the heck, with 3-D printing and using sintered metal technology, it may even be possible to improve upon the original design.
Of course, it may still be possible to bring them in through Mexico, along with the drug shipments that seem to pass through our borders so easily now.
The time to stand up and dispute it should have been when George H.W. Bush pulled a far worse stunt in 1989.
Range of executive actions possible on guns, some more controversial than others
In 1989, then-President George H.W. Bush halted the importation of some semi-automatic firearms that could be considered “assault weapons” under existing legal authority provided by the 1968 Gun Control Act, under the determination that they were not “particularly suitable for or readily adapting to sporting purposes.” Bush used his executive powers after a career criminal killed five kids and wounded 29 others with an AK-47 assault rifle on Jan. 27, 1989, in California.
This was done on the advice of his "drug czar" William Bennett, another phoney conservative, who told him gun owners wouldn't care since they don't hunt with these types of firearms anyway.
Paved the way for Bill Clinton.
I read somewhere that this isn’t true. It wasn’t Snopes or anything like that. I’ll try to find out where I read this.
See my post #13. Most of the GOP is part of the problem.
“Of course, it may still be possible to bring them in through Mexico, along with the drug shipments that seem to pass through our borders so easily now.”
At this time one could bring a few Russian T-90 tanks through our Southern border with very little difficulty.
Just don’t try to get into the USA from Canada with a box of Kinder Eggs.
A big question is since the older models of AK are out of patent, will a US manufacturer make a high quality version?
While some early Russian makes were pretty good quality, soon quality went downhill, and their foreign manufacturers cranked out some worthless rifles.
Today, US manufacturers could not only make a good quality rifle, but a very high quality rifle. There likely are some people out there who would shell out $20k for a rifle, if it was really spectacular.
I'm pretty sure producing an AK variant has been tried here in the US -- the problem is that matching the price of one manufactured in Russia, China, the former Eastern Bloc countries, etc. etc. would be just about impossible. (You can buy various AK parts manufactured right here in the U.S.A., just not complete guns.) The AK dates from 1947 -- any patents would have expired years ago, just as with America's Favorite Rifle, the AR.
Go to Hell, 0!
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