Need Help. Any government contract dealers on THR?

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twoblink

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So by chance..

I'm telling my friend that America wants to dump the M16's in favor of the XM8's, and how I'd love to sell them to Taiwan..

So my friend had dinner with a friend of his, who is now a high ranking government official.. So they get to talking about small arms, and the guy says "I'd like to import more guns, but I don't know anybody who knows about them enough to trust them..."

So my friend thinks, well, twoblink is always talking about guns... So he gives me a call... and now I have a appointment with them tomorrow!!

I have no clue actually about how I'd be able to get my hands on a few hundred thousand guns from Uncle Sam to sell the Taiwan...

Anybody on THR a government contracts expert? Where should I begin?

I would love to be the person who became responsible for the arming of Taiwan :evil:
 
I'm confused as to what you're proposing.

You want the US Government to sell arms to Taiwan , which the last time I checked is a republic of China.....

What with the bomb and all, dont they have enough stuff to destabalize the world arms market as it is?
 
I'm proposing that Taiwan be a dumping ground for the extra M16's.

Timebomb?? Why do you think the government is now interested (again) in rearmorment??

Wild... How much $$$ and how many Benjamins are we talkin' about?

I'll know more tomorrow...

What would be a "fair market value" for used M16's?
 
You're going to need the approval of the US State Department to export damn near ANYTHING defense related anywhere outside the US, let alone to red china.

When I say that, I mean:

Ammo
Anything RESEMBLING a reciever, upper, or other gun related equipment.
Body armor

So I say again.....you want the US Government to sell China a bunch of M16's for what reason again?
 
The whole amount plus fees...

If you want to purchase 100,000 M16 @ $100 each you will need an irrev letter of credit on a US bank in that amount, plus probaly 2 points on fees for exporting..

So yer talking a min of 7 figgs....but figger the 100,000 M16s to be around $750 each


WildstepupbeaplayerAlaska
 
twoblink,
First off, there has been no decision made on procurement of the XM8. Secondly, if the XM8 does become the M8 and go into production it will be years before it's fielded making thousands of M16s surplus. Even then, I would guess that most of the newer M16s will go into war reserve for contingency purposes and the actual surplus ones will most likely be given away as foriegn aid, sold for pennies to US police agencies in the 1132 program or sold to foreign governments (paid for with money appropriated from the US Treasury) in the Foreign Military Sales Program.

I don't see much of a chance of an individual brokering a sale of US government owned weapons to a foreign government. You'd stand a much better chance brokering a sale of rifles produced by Colt or another manufacturer. Even then there will be State Department and Defense Department hoops to jump through.

Taiwan is a political hot potato, especially when it comes to arms sales. I would imagine that any sale of military equipment or technology would have to be approved at the highest levels, perhaps even voted on in congress. That's why Taiwan has it's own arms industry and manufactures the T65 (IIRC) an M16 clone.

Jeff
 
dukeofurl,

TAIWAN IS NOT CHINA!!!:cuss: :banghead: :banghead:

Please don't spread lies and confuse the fact!

ROC _DOES NOT_ EQUAL PRC!!

That's like saying the gun laws in the America are similiar to that of England simply because both countries speak English!

Jeff... You are a smart boy, please don't lie to yourself... The T57's and T65's that Taiwan produces... No soldier dares to take one into battle.

I teach English here in Taiwan, and I taught a few military classes, and one of my students was the Drill Sergent in Chief of the army for the Taipei base. He said that the "training" the army boyz get as far as shooting...

6 shots, per week. :what: I don't know how you expect a soldier to actually be ready for combat with that kind of practice numbers... And then I found out, that's considered HIGH, as most practice with 6 shots a MONTH...

At $750 per M16.. The money is not going to be the issue... Taiwan is rich. The issue is whether or not the US government is gonna approve the sale. Second, this guy is hinting that the top officials would like to CCW. As Taiwan has ZERO CCW culture, he wanted to ask me about the "consequences" of CCWing.

It should make for an interesting conversation. I seriously doubt something this political and in a region as hot (politically) as Taiwan, I'm going to have a chance to be the broker for anything... But there's a high likelihood that if Taiwan does buy some Arms from Uncle Sam, I might be the guy in charge of "finding some good teachers" from the US to teach how to use these things..

During my "army english" class... They were utterly amazed how much I knew about guns.. (and frankly speaking, compared to like Art or Tamara, I'm the little fish..) most of the soldiers can clean the gun, but have no clue what most of the parts are for!! :what:
 
A lot of hurdles there, but I honestly don't see where you come in. The US has sold/given millions of small arms to the governments of friendly nations through Lend-Lease, Military Assistance Programs, and dozens of other programs, and as far as I know they have never used private arms brokers to do so.

Nor do I know why anyone in the ROC government involved with US MAP programs would need or want to talk to a private party who happens to know about guns. They have very effective lobbyists, and also people at the embassy in DC* who know who to talk to at the Pentagon and know the ropes a lot better than any civilian.

Besides, AFAIK, no new rifle has been adopted and, as Jeff said, it will take many years before the changeover can take place.

(As far as 6 shots a week, unless things have changed that is more than I fired in the U.S. Army. We did the rifle range once a year, and sure didn't fire any 312 rounds. The rest of the time we never fired a weapon.)

*Officially called the TECO, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

Jim
 
Jim,

I have no idea, I think they want to hear about some social reactions if Taiwan started importing some "gun culture".. Where do I fit in? Probably nowhere.. But when asked "Can you name someone who knows how to use a gun, and has an opinion on guns, but didn't get his opinion given to him via the army?" They only name they knew was mine.. :)

Finding a gun owner in America is easy, finding one in Taiwan that is not Army or LEO or Mofia is next to impossible...

It's 2pm right now here, I have the meet at 5pm.. So we'll wait and see..
 
Well, back from the meeting...

I can't say I'm surprised, politicians are politicians.

So I met up with them, them being he and his wife, or mostly his wife.

His wife owns a store that sells "American Military memorabilia".. and she's the one that was interested in importing things... :rolleyes:

For example, a bullet on a keyring.. You can't import a bullet.. it's illegal to.. But if an American citizen, who'd removed the primer, and punched some holes in the casing were to bring some in, why that's just a gift... :rolleyes: :uhoh:

:scrutiny:

She sells little bullets to stupid Taiwanese wanna be tactical, "I think I'm GI Joe" for..

$5USD a bullet!! :banghead: :cuss: :what:

A muzzle break for an M1A? It runs like $150!! Rediculous!!

Importing guns isn't where the money is, it's importing gun parts and selling them as memorabilia... An M16.... Wild says will run about $750. Chopped up into non-usable pieces and resold here in Taiwan, you can make about $3000 from that same gun!! So she said she had contacts in the states and everything was ready on that side, and ready on this side and she needed a "gopher" with an American passport...

I smiled and walked away..
 
So she said she had contacts in the states and everything was ready on that side, and ready on this side and she needed a "gopher" with an American passport...

I smiled and walked away..
Click to expand...

Yikes. Oh, well. I guess it would have been fun to play "international arms dealer", eh? ;-)
 
Oh, boy, smart move. That scheme sounds like it could be real trouble. Even if the small stuff is legal, it sounds like the sort of thing designed to suck in the patsy until he does commit illegal acts and then can be blackmailed into working in other areas, like espionage or arms smuggling.

I have never been in Taiwan or been inside one of their jails, and I don't think I want to be. But if I did, that kind of business seems like a way to get the grand tour.

Jim
 
I missed the opportunity...

to jump in before your meeting.

I would have said something along the lines of "Beware!" (etc.)

What whirls around, spins around (always looking for a place to land - for "fun" and profit). I had hoped that you weren't suckered into something akin to a life sentence - or worse, not only aspiring to "dealing" (or "only facilitating") in arms trafficing - or some such whatever charge. Things do have funny ways of going from an expected innocent endeavor to perilous worms.

Anyway - you walked away. Let's hope that that is enough - and all of it.

-Andy
 
I told her "my next trip to America, I'll buy you a pair of Camo shorts for free.."

That's about it.

Basically, I told her "You know, most of what you are asking is "illegal" right?" She said, the standard answer "It's illegal only when you get caught."

Err... she meant when __I__ get caught.

She had her nephew bring stuff in last time, and she said he tried 6 times before customs let him in...

Brought about 5000 rounds of ammo in..

5000x $5 each = $25,000!!

If a chopped M16 = $3000. You pack 10, and you've got $30,000... and if you happened to "not fully destroy the parts" and reassembled a few, why, M16's sell for $10,000 each here in Taiwan on the black market...

Trust me, I can see the "math" or rather the "$$$$" in her eyes..

I had to refrain from telling her "Find another sucker".
 
I assume that you have read "The Nighcrawler Chronicles" - particularly the female role - more particularly, the earlier stages of the female role?

I might not maintain much of any future contact, myself - could catch something I didn't need, by osmosis. But, then I'm not "in touch", so to speak, with the political climate there.

Take good care.

-Andy
 
Why would a dummy round be illegal?

Tell ya what I am sure they wouldnt be illegal to export...

Get ya all ya want at $2 per delivered, included key ring

WildentrepenuerAlaska
 
The quote didn't say round, it said bullets.... perhaps any single part of a cartridge is illegal? No cases, bullets, primers, or powder allowed?
 
twoblink

You were contacted by a high ranking government official so he and his wife could earn some cash and you did the right thing by declining her fishy proposal. However, they might think that you know too much. IMO, you better watch your six.
 
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