Alphecca

...not to mention the whip! Whodathunk our Gerogie was such a kinky little devil! And with a Hungarian Hottie, no less!

But I digress.

We all know our glorious leaders have been exempt from our laws ever since,,,,,well, for a long time.

Under what Constitutional authority I am unsure, but it is probably best not to question such things. I really do not need to be 're-educated'.

It is my understanding (Jeff, you might ask NRA to confirm this) that back in the 1968-70 time frame, a certain senator from Massachusetts went on a 'fact finding' trip to Vietnam. He brought back an AK-47 (the real full auto model). BATF came to his office and confiscated it months later when they found out about it (without a warrant, I might add).

When asked as to why he was not being prosecuted for violating the 1968 GCA, BATF's and the senators response was that he was unaware that bringing such a firearm into the coutnry was illegal, and since there was no 'intent' to violate the law no prosecution was appropriate.

Leaving aside the intent issue (does anyone doubt that a mere citizen would hang for such things?),and also ignoring the 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' reality for us normal folks, Teddy was one of the primary authors of the 1968 GCA which he so cavalierly violated shortly after its passage. Yet BATF absolved him of any guilt because he didn't know...

I wonder if this story is an urban legend, or if it's true? If true (it is certainly believeable), what is the statute of limitations on violations of the 68 GCA?

Of course, Bush didn't import these items personally, they came into the country in the diplomatic pouch, which DOES operate under a different set of legal guidelines (the military brings back all manner of things for review and to be added to museums). And while they are called "gifts to President Bush", they are in fact gifts to the "United States" and GWB dooesn't get to keep them. They are cataloged and placed in storage in Washington, only seeing the light of day when needed as a prop for some press conference of other.

I think there is a provision for the President, on leaving office, to PURCHASE, at market value, a small number of the items bestowed on him during his tenure in office. So if GWB wants that gun, he can probably buy it, and I am certain that ATF will file the import form 6 for him.

Admit it, you're just jealous and would love to have a Dakota Arms .338 Lapua sniper rifle. I admit I'm jealous of these gifts and would like to have various heads of state showering me with same.

An interesting thought: Bush has gotten several gifts (firearms, swords, machetes) that are martial in nature and may have significant meaning in the cultures of the gift-givers. I suspect there may be an unknown story behind the US-made sniper rifle, which is an odd gift from a Jordanian to an American, dont'cha think?

Swords have historically been presented for martial accomplishments, at least here and in Europe, so does a Muslim giving such things to Bush indicate they think he is accomplishing something worthwhile in the military line?

And finally, how does the Bush arms buildup compare with his predecessors. I can imagine someone calling President Clinton a "swordsman" but not in a good way....

IIRC, Bush has the pistol Saddam Hussein had on him when he was captured, too.

were they given to him as a private person or as president? and does that make a difference?

Finally, a reason why I'd like to be President.

I just emailed a buddy of mine in the State department- asking him if a whip is a proper gift to a head of state- seriously- I think Hungary needs a slap-

A sniper rifle? Well, that's a switch: a President sitting on the Grassy Knoll, lying in wait for moody loners...

... And I understand they found a cache of extremist literature in his possession, too: a "declaration of independence," some kind of "constitution," (because the right-wing-enabling mass media in the country, you know who they are, won't come out and call it a 'manifesto') both hand-written no less, and something called a "Bible"...

Oh, and 36 back issues of Guns of the Old West...

Some of these will ptobably end up like the pistol Elvis gave Nixon: on display at his presidential library.

At the George H. W. Bush library there is a large jewel encrusted dagger and other gifts he got as president after the Gulf War.

I've been to the LBJ library too, but do not remember there being any weapons he got as gifts.

I am pretty sure that gifts to the President are not the property of the man, but the office. These were given to the US of A. GWB can't take them when he leaves office.

They belong to you and me! Where's mine?

Sour grapes...you guys are just JEALOUS 'cause a brother's got a gig where folks give him free guns. Quitcherwhinin'. Hey, this is America...didn't your parent's ever tell you you could be President if you wanted to? Now shut up and get out to the range this weekend....

Most likely all of these weapons go into the 'Presidential Gift collection' or whatever its called that pretty much all these sorts of diplomatic gifts end up in nowadays.

I'll bet the whip from Hungary was a nod to the fact that the President has a ranch. (Is it a cattle ranch? That'd make even more sense in this case) As there's quite a bit of horsemanship and livestock raising on the Hungarian plains.

I'm sure there is a symbolic import to all the weapons from those sheiks and kings.

I fear that any law requiring citizens to purchase at least one gun a month may require a subsidy from the federal government

You mean I don't have to buy a gun every month? I didn't know.

I want to know if the whip came with a set of handcuffs, a leather bra and a leash.

"I'll bet the whip from Hungary was a nod to the fact that the President has a ranch. (Is it a cattle ranch? That'd make even more sense in this case) As there's quite a bit of horsemanship and livestock raising on the Hungarian plains.
I'm sure there is a symbolic import to all the weapons from those sheiks and kings."

OTOH maybe Hungarian has seen picture of George in flightsuit? Anyone have picture of Hungarian whatever-ruler? And knowledge of Hungarian customs?

P. (Look, it's early, I have had no coffee and mind IS naturally dirty.)

Let's don't forget George showing off Saddams Browning Hipower in the Oval Office. Anyone want to see the import form, DC liscense, transfer papers on that?
And how about sworn LEO officers ignoring the crime?

My father-in-law came back from WWII with a German machine gun in full working condition. A few months after his return, the FBI showed up, welded the breach closed, gave him the gun back and wished him a good day. Wonder if that kind of thing is still going on?

Gifts given to the President are different than gifts given to George W. Bush. Gifts given to the President are usually considered to have been "given" to the United States of America, and are not the personal property of one man (of course this is traditional and there is no actual law requiring such; go ask Billary).
Second, the President isn't technically a resident of Washington, D.C; he maintains his original residency in the State of (By-God) Texas. When he's in the White House or in governmental conveyance, he's on Federal territory and federal laws apply (which can be altered by a Presidential Order when and as needed), which supersedes D.C. law entirely.
Go chew some more of them sour grapes and check the rules.

As a practical matter, who in the pro-gun-liberty camp really wants to make an issue of this? So "The Shrub" is factually immune to gun laws ... so what? The more guns, the merrier. ^^

Yes, it does suck that the "little people" get screwed by those insane anti-gun laws, but that's a different matter.

Not illegal for him.

As C-in-C of the military, he can procure weapons from anywhere on the planet ... and then transfer ownership to himself.

If someone tried to impeach him over it, he can simply put it in writing and have the DOD file it someplace ....

It's good to be the King ...

David P.
Thanks for the sanity. The next big squawk is going to be the fact that the president doesnt undergo checkpoint screening when boarding Air Force 1. Who knows, he might carry that Dakota Arms sniper rifle on board and hijack it.

I would hope (David P) that you realized my post was a tongue-in-cheek response to the news story.

"Let's don't forget George showing off Saddams Browning Hipower in the Oval Office."

Bush has the Makarov Saddam was captured with not one of Saddam's Hipowers (Browning or otherwise).

Furthermore, 11 handguns? Hasn't Bush heard about the one-gun-per-month rules being proposed all over the country? Does NYC Mayor Michael Blowhard know about this? Isn't handgun possession illegal in Washington DC?

Yes, but isn't Bush still a resident of Texas? His current home in DC is not his permanent one; he moved there in '01 knowing full well he'd be gone by '09, if not sooner. I don't think Texas has a gun of the month law, so he should be OK as long as he takes his guns back to Crawford. Or, if he wants to visit them locally, he could always store them somewhere in the 'burbs. I don't think Maryland has a gun of the month law. Virginia does, but exempts holders of concealed carry permits, and in any event applies only to sales, not to individuals bringing guns they already own into the commonwealth.

Jim: "My father-in-law came back from WWII with a German machine gun in full working condition. Wonder if that kind of thing is still going on?"

Bringing weapons back as "souvineers" has been strictly prohibited since at least GWI. There is a long list of prohibited items, including all weapons, body parts, even sand and soil (EPA is worried about the strange critters). The Navy Reserve supports the customs inspection process in CENTCOM, inspecting every piece of personal and organizational gear and equipment for compliance.

Speaking of war souvineers, though, when I was a kid my brother and I went to the house of the curator of the local museum to see his private collection, which included a fully working water-cooled machinegun his grandfather brought back from WWI. And, no, it had not been rendered unusable.

Laura Bush -- "Guns, knives, swords, whips...I don't know what you have planned for tonight, George, but count me out!"

How can you all miss the point? Bush obviously is planning to stay in power after his term is over no matter who is elected president. The weapon cache is for the coup. After that he'll crown himself King George I of the United States of America, Emperor of Mesopotamia and Persia. (That means he's going to invade Iran on false pretenses before 2008.)

Jeff. take a GOOD look at some of the comments to your post here- especially two and three up from your response to me.

This is what the (mostly) pro-gun RIGHT is doing, right here.
Now that your post has been Instalanched, care to guess how many ANTI-gun or ANTI-Bush sites will run with this?

Are you sure it's ME you should be jacking up for "not getting it"?

I always figured it was Cheney with the whip lashing Bush...

Certainly, they'd give a Mr. Gore a set of pink towels, instead.

It would be nice if said laws DID apply to him. He might do something about REPEALING said laws!