[MV] Imports of surplus vehicles

LEEnCALIF@aol.com
Thu, 7 Oct 1999 13:26:41 EDT

Imports of all
Surplus Significant Military Equipment
into the United States is hereby canceled!
by authority of a written memo
from his Majesty, the Director of the BATF
~1998~

That was then and this is now. But, nothing has changed and we're closing in
on the year 2000. Maybe its my cranky disposition showing because of my
cold, but damn its taking a long time on resolving this Form 6 business!
Awhile back, I was lead to believe a solution was a hand ... but here we
still wait and wait and wait!

This past July 1999 I was advised the BATF was forming a committee to come up
with a new form to resume legal imports. During the same time I was
appointed to a government committee too. We studied riots, social unrest,
crowd control, causes of conflict between certain population groups and
police. We drafted a huge report and have had 10 public meetings, 2 official
government hearings and passed a law in support of our recommendations. Yet
BATF can't draw up a single import form in the same time period?

There is something very wrong here, unless somebody can tell me good reasons
to think otherwise.

Skip this part if you are aware of the situation.....

FYI: In case you just tuned in and are unaware of this old dilemma. A form 6
issued by BATF is required to import armor or things classified as SME,
significant military equipment. This could be an aircraft, boat or tank or
parts thereof. BATF refuses to process the form at the request of the State
Dept. Without notice, legal hearings, due process, open discussion or
passage of law this action was taken to stop all such imports. It threatens
the future of military vehicle collection, armor or otherwise.

Since that time many people in our group and at the federal level, including
Senators and Congressmen who have inquired on our behalf have been given the
run-around with no conclusive answers.

The frustrated law makers and independent inquirers have all but given up and
walked away with nothing. Completely stonewalled by a closed system. We had
been hoping for some resolution by reasonable people in the near future. Our
last best hope was that our Club President was working on such a resolution,
but we've heard nothing since his last message in July.

I've asked the MVPA whats going on today and I now await an answer.

Months have passed since my last contact and none of us have heard anything.
Our last glimmer of hope is beginning to dim. Do you think it is time to put
the pressure on again? Guess it depends on what I hear from our MVPA. But,
can you imagine a private business operating with such ineptitude and
slowness as government has shown? They would be out of business in a New
York minute! Yet, we somehow have become like frogs in a boiling pot, too
many of us don't really seem to notice how our pot is warming up or really
care. I'm very concerned about the future of our hobby here in the USA.

Maybe I am a throw back to bygone times, but I still believe this United
States government is owned by Americans and by God they either they respond
and treat us fairly or we should send those bureaucrats packing thru the vote
if we have too.

I am awaiting the reply of our MVPA before I do any more to rock the
government boat.

That's my 2 Colonial farthings & a tea bag's worth!!! Jack Lee


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