Legislation introduced to prevent government interference with legal importation of surplus collectible firearms

The Billings Gazette is reporting that U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis is seeking to stop the federal government from interfering with the legal importation of nearly 1 million surplus collectable U.S.-made firearms.

The proposed legislation comes in response to news that the Obama administration is blocking the import of historical M1 rifles from South Korea, and that the highly collectible firearms were possibly being slated for destruction.

From the article:

The Wyoming Republican has joined with Indiana Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in introducing a bill called the Collectable Firearms Protection Act

Lummis' office says the Obama administration is using the State Department to prevent the importation and sale of collectible, American-made M1 Garand rifles and M1 carbines from South Korea to U.S. citizens. Lummis said such firearms transactions are already regulated by the Justice Department.

In a press release announcing the legislation, Lummis is quoted as saying "The State Department does not have the authority to deny legal firearms to law-abiding citizens. These firearms have historical value, are legal, and their importation is already highly regulated by the Justice Department. There is no basis for State Department involvement. This is not about diplomacy or foreign policy -- this is a domestic issue and a Second Amendment issue."

"The right of law-abiding American citizens to import these historical firearms should not be complicated with unnecessary over-regulation," Donnelly continued. "This common-sense change simply lets the Justice Department do its job and removes the State Department from the process."

The press release goes on to say that "the State Department's actions undermine the will of Congress, which has expressly authorized these types of transactions in the Arms Control Export Act. H.R. 6240 would remove jurisdiction by the State Department and the Department of Defense over these imports, which are already regulated by the Justice Department through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). These collectable firearms would still be treated like any other modern, legal firearm, including BATFE licensing requirements, record keeping requirements, and background checks prior to retail sales."

Additional Information:
The Washington Times - Obama's backdoor gun ban - Government is blocking sale of historic weapons