logo

Legislators Move to Limit Ammunition Sales and Use

image
Created: 02 August, 2012
Updated: 13 October, 2022
4 min read
Photo: Public Domain

The UN conference on the Arms Trade Treaty ended on July 27th without consensus; the US signaled that it wouldn't support the agreement.

In the wake of the Aurora, Colorado shooting, however, the domestic conversation on gun control has continued. President Obama signaled his interest in stricter gun control and perhaps his unfamiliarity with US gun laws when he said to the National Urban League:

“But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals; that they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.”

One would hope that criminals would not have AK-47s. It is a felony for many criminals to have an AK-47, or any other gun for that matter.

The rifle used in the Aurora shooting was an AR-15-style rifle. The AK-47 referenced by Mr. Obama is the Avtomat Kalashnikova, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, a Russian arms designer. Though popular in the US as a sporting rifle, the automatic version is popular in former Soviet states and the developing world as a military gun. The AR-15 is the semiautomatic version of the rifle carried by the military which has Mr. Obama as its Commander-in-Chief.

Since Aurora, there have been two new attempts to pass stricter gun control at the congressional level.

Senator Frank Lautenberg has offered an amendment to the Cybersecurity Bill that would prohibit the sale or transfer of magazines which hold over 10 rounds. While this doesn't criminalize the possession of currently-owned magazines which hold over 10 rounds, it would criminalize the transfer. Interestingly, the problem of inheritance of the magazines wasn't addressed. What's a family to do?

During the now-expired "Assault Weapon Ban," there was a prohibition on the sale and transfer of the same magazines which held more than 10 rounds. Studies conducted after the ban expired showed that there was no discernible effect from the ban. According to those advocating the banning of magazines holding over 10 rounds, since hunters don't need them, there is no reason for them to be sold. The counter arguments are that the Second Amendment does not address hunting, and again, there are no data which show that the ban was effective in combating crime.

Ironically, it could be argued that the 100-round magazine used by the Aurora shooter actually saved lives. As any experienced shooter might tell you, it can almost be predicted that a 100-round magazine would jam, as the shooter's reportedly did. Magazines are a box with a spring at the bottom that push the rounds up into the chamber to be fired. The rounds have to be lined up parallel in order to feed. If they come out of alignment or are pushed too hard or too slow they jam. The larger the magazine, the more likely the jam. Given a 100-round magazine, a jam is almost guaranteed.

IVP Existence Banner

In another move, Senator Lautenberg (D-NY) and Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) have introduced a bill that would all but eliminate the purchase of ammunition online. From Representative McCarthy:

"The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act works through four components:It requires anyone selling ammunition to be a licensed dealer.It requires ammunition buyers who are not licensed dealers to present photo identification at the time of purchase, effectively banning the online or mail order purchase of ammo by regular civilians.It requires licensed ammunition dealers to maintain records of the sale of ammunition.It requires licensed ammunition dealers to report the sale of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person within any five consecutive business days."

Why would anyone want to buy ammunition online or by mail or phone order? Though perhaps not as commonly as in New York, there are many rural areas of the US where there are not local vendors of ammunition. Online sales of ammunition facilitate the purchase for people living in rural areas.

Another question would be why anyone would want to buy 1,000 rounds or more of ammunition. A simple reason is economics; most ammunition vendors, particularly online vendors, give a discount for purchasing ammunition in units of 1,000. Since ammunition has a nearly-unlimited shelf life and doesn't take much space, buying in bulk makes sense financially.

But is it a lot of ammunition? An active competitive shooter can easily shoot 10,000 rounds a year in practice and competition. 1,000 rounds can be barely a month's worth.

Will limiting the capacity of a single magazine or the ability of a customer to purchase a product in bulk make us safer? An independent voter can make their own decision.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read