US destroys Iraqi AKs. US buys Iraqis more AKs.

[Maxwell]

Guns aren't very expensive in bulk to a government, especially a kalashnikov.
Probably cheaper to junk the old ones and buy new than to hire hundreds of gunsmiths to inspect, repair, and standardize them.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I just find irony in the fact that we are arming people who could easily turn out to be our enemies in the coming years with 2 VERY reliable weapons: 1)AK-47s and 2) Glocks. That's lovely. Now our troops on the other hand have two complex and finnicky weapons 1) M4 and 2)M9 that don't like dirt and are not known for reliability.

The hilarious thing is that a lot of Iraqis were convinced that the Glocks were junk we were fobbing off on them. Their argument: "If Glocks are so great, how come you guys aren't using them?"

We issued brand-new Glock 19s to all the Iraqi Police in our area, and three months later all the Iraqi Border Guard guys got refurbed Italian Beretta 92s (the ones with the heel mag-release). Man, the cops were ticked that they'd been "ripped off."

-MV

 

[GlenJ]

Perhaps this would bother people more. Iraqi people are allowed to own 1 AK. While American troops from places like CA can't even think of owning one are dying for the Iraqi peoples freedom to own the AK.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Perhaps this would bother people more. Iraqi people are allowed to own 1 AK. While American troops from places like CA can't even think of owning one are dying for the Iraqi peoples freedom to own the AK.

Well, Iraqis also can't go out to buy groceries without substantial risk of being blown to pieces, or kidnapped and tortured to death. Not exactly like they're having one big love-in at our expense.

are dying for the Iraqi peoples freedom to own the AK

The U.S. is fighting for the U.S.'s own reasons, not out of any undying love for the Iraqis. It sounds pretty silly to argue that our reasons for going into Iraq are pure altruism. I'm not hating on the US, just pointing out that we (theoretically) have practical reasons for what we do, and any peace/love/understanding improvements are just icing on the cake.

-MV

 

[LAR-15]

Don't have a problem with them getting new quality weapons

 

[roo_ster]

Every time a Hooah destroys a cache of AKs, G-d kills a kitten.

 

[Libertylover]

Wouldn't it be really nice if the US was still the dumping grounds of every stockpile of government surplus guns?

The private market here would be VERY good at filtering through which ones are keepers and which ones are junkers.

Just one more reason to repeal the NFA and GCA, and allow imports of foreign guns...

 

[Manedwolf]

The private market here would be VERY good at filtering through which ones are keepers and which ones are junkers.

It once was. Look up the history of Bannerman's surplus, which bought the leftovers from several wars and supplied later ones.

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

War profiteering is nothing new at all.

Another good reason to think very hard before starting a war.

 

[Seven High]

Those Iraqi AKs need to be refurbished, then air dropped to Iranian resistance fighters!

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

As far as the pay back thing...sorry, I was in brief spell of idealism. I'm back to normal consciousness!


How dare I expect my government to act responsibly with my money.


Silly me.

 

[jeepmor]

War profiteering is nothing new at all.

I think it's war makes profiteering easy.... so we start a war. Daddy Bush was working weapons contractors long before we invaded, it was a plan all along. Really applies with the current administration's tactics and complete botching of the Iraqi mission by undermanning the whole thing. The mission was getting the oil, nothing more, anything else is just a spin. You know it, I know it, we all know it, as I said, the rest is spin to justify their actions to a mind numbingly oblivious population who pays more attention to reality TV than reality.

 

[coltrane679]

I just find irony in the fact that we are arming people who could easily turn out to be our enemies in the coming years

It has happened before in that neighborhood.

Reagan's "Afghan Freedom Fighters" became Al Qaeda.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is a beetch.

 

[xd9fan]

its for the economy.....

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I just find irony in the fact that we are arming people who could easily turn out to be our enemies in the coming years

Yep, but it's either that or have nobody to fight our _current_ enemies.

When we handed out uniforms and confisctated/reissued rifles to the Bedouins, I had a ton of LCpls whining "Sir, how come we gotta give weapons to the hajis? Can't we just wait until we leave?"

My reply: "If you got a good plan to patrol a chunk of Al-Anbar the size of New Hampshire with six Humvees, feel free to chime in. Until then, the Bedoos are getting AKs"

-MV

 

[Langenator]

Those Iraqi AKs need to be refurbished, then air dropped to Iranian resistance fighters!

There are no 'Iranian resistance fighters' to speak of.

We could, however, give them to the people in Darfur being slaughtered by the Sudanese government. Probably be a whole lot more effective than a bunch of blue helmeted child molesters.

 

[TimboKhan]

I didn't read any of the posts but the first one, but you might be interested to know that on one episode of "American Rifleman TV", they actually interviewed an Army sergeant who was, in fact, refurbishing weapons for the Iraqis in addition to training them on how to do it themselves. Evidently, there is a whole platoon set up to do this.