Rather than let the stranded batch of rifles go to waste, KelTec—a family-owned firm that employs about 300 U.S. citizens—is sending them to Ukraine’s civilian resistance movement to help them fend off attacks from Russia’s military.
“The American people want to do something,” Kellgren, a former U.S. Navy pilot, told AP. “We enjoy our freedoms, we cherish those things. And when we see a group of people out there getting hammered like this, it’s heartbreaking.”
Kellgren said he was able to connect with a diplomat in the Ukrainian Embassy via a Ukrainian neighbor and secure a federal arms export license in just four days, a process that can typically take months because of the complex amount of red tape involved with the international shipment of arms.
The guns were sent to be delivered to an undisclosed NATO-run facility, and from there, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense will be responsible for distributing them to resistance forces in the country, according to the AP.
Officials with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Kellgren’s decision to send the rifles to Ukraine comes after the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, told Ukrainian citizens that anyone aged 16 to 60 could not leave the country, and urged them to take up arms to fend off Russian attacks.
Kellgren said he hopes to plan more shipments in the future, according to the AP. He noted that KelTec’s license allows the export of up to 10,000 weapons and that the company has offered to provide the Ukrainians with their own production line as well as weekly shipments.
The gunmaker isn’t the only company attempting to supply Ukraine with weapons amid the ongoing conflict.
“A lot of brands throw their rifles out of helicopters to demonstrate durability, ours go to war,” the company said.
“In the true spirit of Colorado, I am proud that Colorado law enforcement stepped up to support the brave people of Ukraine. We are doing everything we can to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and this surplus body armor is urgently needed to help save lives, stop Putin’s ruthless aggression, and save Ukraine,” he said.