User Panel
The truth is that it isn't going to happen.
I'll be happy to be wrong, but I seriously doubt it at this point. Booth rep says "We'll have a decision sometime in the next 2 years". Okay. I'm not holding my breath. |
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The one thing I have been trying to verify is what is stamped on the sides of the new AUG's. If it says Austria or Mississippi. It's a real tragedy. With SIG, FN and Steyr onboard for civilian sales, all that would be missing is HK |
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If I would've known to look, I would've when I had it in my hands. Sorry dude. But the booth rep said that they aren't made here yet. Granted, sometimes these reps are wrong about stuff like that or just don't know details (why, I don't know). Also, I thought that Steyr's booth was ridiculously small. I think Magpul had a larger booth (not to diss Magpul, but they're not a major arms manufacturer.) My only thought is that Steyr may be looking to distance itself from the US market as a result of the latest political stuff and their bonehead move to sell weapons to the mullahs. |
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One big problem with Steyr is their spotty import record. Parts and support may not be available.
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I thought those AUGs were pretty slick, though I'd prefer the cleaner (and lighter) A2. I never got a chance to ask a rep about civilian models, though.
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Sell .50s to our enemies and damn right you should not be able to make money off the American public.
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As posted elsewhere, the conversation in a nutshell
US Govt: don't sell 50's to Iran Steyr: You aren't the boss of us, and we exist to sell our products and make a living doing it.. but here's what we'll do, you allow us to import our basic rifles into the US again for US citizens to legally own, and we won't sell 50's to Iran. US Gov't: are you crazy? we'd rather you sell 50's to terrorists than to sell AUGs to US civillians Steyr: Well, there you go. I say more power to 'em. |
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Damn you Gun Blast!!!
Seriously, they have a misquote under their AUG picture that started this whole thing. The AUG was a full auto that was not made in America. (Or so says a number of attendees.) |
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When in reality all they had to do was produce the AUG in the US and they could have sold them here now. But no, they do not want to support the american worker. |
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+1 I was wondering what Steyr had actually sold to Iran, thanks for the info. I think the whole thing is really quite silly... Iran has no ties to Al Qaeda. In fact, OBL and other Wahabis hate Shiite Muslims. The Iranians may not be our allies, but they don't have to be our enemies either. Israel's problem =! America's problem. |
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Are you fucking kidding me? Iran has been suppling IEDs to Iraqi insurgents for the past year. Iran wants to remove Isreal from the face of the earth, and Iran has always called the US the Devil. Iran is moving ahead with making a nuclear bomb, why because they are our friends, get real. Iran is and will be a threat to the US. Iran kidnapped 80 Americans, did you forget that as well? |
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Hell, you must have forgot that we, the US Guberment, sold weapons to Iran.. Not to mention Iraq, and Alqeda, and Osama himself.. |
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No Jimmy fucking Carter gave the Iranian older F-14A/B models without spare parts I might add which rendered the entire group inopperable within 5 years.
Iran is radical Islamic state, that has nuclear desires and hates the US. PERIOD. regardless of if a past president authorized weapon sales, it does not mean that a current President can take a firm stand against anymore blunders. |
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Forgot about Iran-Contra, did you? |
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No, but what does any of this have to do with Bush wanting no new weapons to be sold to our enemies by so called friends or allies of the US?
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From the 9/11 Commission Report: "Turabi (Sudan's Islamist Leader and ally of OBL) sought to persuade Shiites and Sunnis to put aside their divisions and join against the common enemy. In late 1991 or 1992, discussions in Sudan between al Qaeda and Iranian operatives led to an informal agreement to cooperate in providing support-even if only training-for actions carried out primarily against Israel and the United States...The relationship between al Qaeda and Iran demonstrated that Sunni-Shia divisions did not necessarily pose an insurmountable barrier to cooperation in terrorist operations. As will be described in Chapter 7, al Qaeda contacts with Iran continued in ensuing years." Pg. 60. President Bush did not just abitrarily name Iran as one of the members of the axis of evil. We are in a global war, not a global criminal prosecution endeavor. |
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Coltshorty14, please tell me how and when we sold weapons to al Qaeda, and to OBL himself. Military aid to the muj to assist in their fight against the Soviets does NOT count-we were in the middle of another global war against an enemy that was just as dangerous as fundamental Islam. Come on, people.
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Um, whatever. I guess any foreign company that doesn't immediately begin making its products in the US "doesn't support the American worker". |
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The Reagan era weapons sales to the Iranians happened AFTER the hostage situation in Iran. There are people in the GWB administration who were involved in those sales. For them to criticize anyone else, much less a FOREIGN COMPANY for selling weapons to the Iranians is simply absurd. |
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+1 It goes even farther back...Iran has had sure links to AQ going back to the Soviet/Afghan war. They were a big suppier( as were we) as well as a primary refuge. Hezbollah is a total creation of the Iranian Sepah( Pasdaran) and there are definite ties between Hezbollah and AQ as well as similarity of training and method. Furthermore, where do you suppose a helluva lot of the insurgents in Iqaq are coming from/ being trained/funded? That's right..IRAN. Forgive me, but the thought of a major Western military arms mfg. selling .50 cals to them AT THIS POINT IN TIME bugs me a bit. My $.02 |
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Again, so because something happened in the past, we are not allowed to stop it from happening again? Grow the fuck up.
Steyr would rather sell illegal weapons to Iran than to the American public as the profit in the illegal arms trade is far higher than legit transactions. That was a just a weak excuse for their actions. If they were really serious about selling to the US, then they could have set shop up in the US, just like FN, Glock, and SIG have done. |
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You are so wrong it isn't funny. Steyr WANTED to sell its rifles to civilians here, and the US Government wouldn't let them. So, because they are a BUSINESS, in order to STAY IN BUSINESS, they sold rifles to Iran instead. If GWB was serious about not having Steyr sell weapons to them, he would have let them import AUGs again. But no, maintaining his father's import ban was more important. Furthermore, the sale was not "illegal". It was approved by the Austrian government. Get your facts straight before you go spouting off any further and make yourself look like more of an ass than you already have. |
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US troops in Iraq may face Steyr .50s that Steyr intentionally sold to a nation that openly funds and supports terrorists. Steyr and Austria may one day regret making their 30 pieces of silver.
Edit: the US is not the only nation with terrorism concerns. EU countries also seem to have their hands full nowadays...it is simplistic to limit this discussion to a "because the US did this, Steyr did that" mentality. Steyr and Austria can be criticized for selling the guns to Iran no matter what the US said. |
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So Steyr gets to have a special exemption to import banned weapons rather than building a US factory to build them here? FN built a factory here, Glock built a factory here, SIG built a factory here. Steyr's excuse is very weak just like your opinion. |
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The United States has maintained various sanctions against Iran since 1979, following the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, on November 4 of that year. In March 2003, President Bush extended sanctions originally imposed in 1995 for another year, citing Iran's "support for international terrorism, efforts to undermine the Middle East peace process, and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction." In March and May 1995, President Clinton had signed two Executive Orders prohibiting U.S. companies and their foreign subsidiaries from conducting business with Iran. Executive Order 12957 specifically banned any "contract for the financing of the development of petroleum resources located in Iran."
In August 1996, the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) was passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Clinton. ILSA provided for the imposition of sanctions on companies, irrespective of their corporate "nationality," that invest more than $20 million annually (in August 1997, this was lowered from $40 million) in the Iranian oil and gas sectors. ILSA's initial five-year term expired in August 2001, and many U.S. energy firms pressed for non-renewal of the sanctions. Energy companies were encouraged by the March 2000, U.S. decision to permit the importation of certain Iranian products -- carpets, caviar, pistachios, and dried fruit - - as an exception to the general prohibition on the importation of Iranian goods. However, in late July 2001, the U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly to renew ILSA for five more years, and President Bush signed the bill into law. Since 2000, the only relaxation of Iranian sanctions followed the December 2003 earthquake in Bam. In response to that event, the United States temporarily suspended sanctions against the export of humanitarian items and money transfers to Iran. In March 2004, the selective suspension was extended for an additional three months. As a result of the March 1995 Executive Order (but prior to the enactment of ILSA), U.S.-based Conoco was obligated to withdraw from a $550 million contract to develop Iran's offshore Sirri A and E oil and gas fields. On August 19, 1997, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13059 reaffirming that virtually all trade and investment activities by U.S. citizens in Iran were prohibited. |
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Iran is not a friend of the US. We have killed and captured Iranian Special Forces soldiers that were fighting with/training insurgent forces in Iraq. Several were killed by US forces when I was in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. Iran would love to see the US and Israel disappear from the globe.
Iran needs to wise up and look at history for a reminder of what happened the last two times Israel was jacked with. |
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I'd buy one of each.
I always wanted one since Miami Vice. Max |
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Not to burst your bubble, but those are German proof marks on the side. The American text is probably just there to notify where and who imported it. |
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So Steyr sold to the Iranians, BFD. Last time I checked they didn't have to do a god damned thing that the U.S. gov't told them to do. I'm more pissed at the fat cat pricks telling me what I can and cant buy, who are they to decide for me whether or not I buy a Steyr. Let me make that decision, if I don't like their other patrons, then I'll not purchase their product.
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Austrian, German, same thing. |
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+1 The old Steyr AUGs were imported from VA and then GSI from AL....the A3 will be from MS, that does not mean it is built in MS. Chris |
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I missed the part about "Austrian companies". Please highlight it for me in the text. |
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I wonder if the SMI means "Steyr Manufacturing Inc" even if that AUG is obviously imported. |
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Yes, Steyr should invest millions in a factory here, so when the US elects an anti-gun president, their products can become illegal immediately, making the factory useless. That's a sound business decision. None of those companies you listed built factories here for civilian "assualt weapon" sales. To claim otherwise is absurd. FN built its factory because of contracts from the gov't to build machine guns. If "assault weapons" are banned again, they will still be making stuff for the government. Glock has some 75% of the US pistol market. Their facility was originally a distribution center. Same with SIG, then they started making .40cal slides and later 9mm slides. I haven't heard about any recent efforts to ban handguns, have you? You cannot logically compare these companies with Steyr, which has almost no US presence. Still, the fact is that Steyr wanted to sell here rather than to Iran, and GWB told them no. I can't see how this can be defended in any fashion, unless you're a gun grabber. Are you a gun grabber? Are George Bush Sr. and William Bennett your favorite Republicans? |
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Goddammit. Im tired of this. Just give me my A3. Stupid politics
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Is the one in the pic. on page one (the bottom gun) is that an SBR? if not i need one bad
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Actually, the sanctions might work in our favor. There was very little likleyhood of Steyr getting a military contract anyways, they had their shot in the early 90s when the AUG was up against the M-4, they lost, and just barley from what I understand. Now the next gen rifle (for at least specops) has already been awarded to the FN SCAR. The sanctions against Steyr preclude them from receiving funds from the government, the sanctions have no bearing on sales to the general public, as such this should refocus Steyrs attention on the civillian market. I for one have seen enough to think that it will happen despite the recent greivences with the government and miscomunication.
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FWIW Guys from my MI unit were based right at the Iranian border in '03 and '04. They had orders to observe and not engage(based on the numbers the was no way they could engage anyway). They likened the flow of insurgents from Iran to our illegal Mexican/other immigrants coming across the US/Mexico border. You believe they were all civi's? I don't. sst7 |
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West Point, MS = middle of freakin' nowhere. Is that where they're home office is located in the US?
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That is damn scary. |
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SteyrMannlicher Inc |
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