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Ammunition

Since the 1960s, gun control supporters have tried to get one or another variety of ammunition banned, severely restricted, prohibitively taxed or excessively regulated, to discourage the acquisition of guns and undermine their use.

For example, though the Gun Control Act of 1968 preamble stated that the law was not intended “to place any undue or unnecessary Federal restrictions or burdens on law-abiding citizens with respect to the acquisition, possession, or use of firearms,” the law required purchasers of handgun-caliber ammunition and rifle-caliber ammunition that could be used in a handgun to sign ledgers documenting their purchases. Because the requirement resulted in a massive amount of paperwork that served no law enforcement purpose, Congress in 1982 rescinded it as it applied to .22 rimfire ammunition and in 1986, as part of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, rescinded it as it applied to center-fire ammunition.

In the 1980s, gun control supporters claimed they wanted to restrict new handgun bullets made of metals harder than lead, which had been invented to enable law enforcement officers shoot through walls and doors, but they instead pushed legislation that would have banned traditional ammunition manufactured with bullets made of lead, commonly used for self-defense, hunting and sports. The Departments of Justice and the Treasury, and the NRA, opposed the legislation and the NRA helped write the “armor piercing ammunition” law that Congress instead adopted in 1986.

In the 1990s, gun control supporters again proposed banning traditional ammunition, a move rejected by the Treasury Department. Separately, they also sought a 1,000 percent tax on 9mm, .25, and .32 caliber ammunition, a 50 percent tax on all handgun ammunition, a ban on mail-order ammunition sales, a requirement for a background check to purchase ammunition, and a limit on the amount of ammunition a person could own without an “arsenal license.” 

In February 2015, two years after failing to get Congress to ban the AR-15 and other general-purpose rifles, the Obama administration attempted to bypass Congress to ban the second most common ammunition used in the rifle. It withdrew the proposed ammunition ban after a majority in each house of Congress and over 80,000 Americans opposed the ban in letters and emails to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Congress threatened to reduce the chronically problematic agency’s budget.

Gun control supporters quickly took advantage of the situation to again call for a ban on traditional ammunition, like the bans that Congress rejected in 1986, and the Treasury Department rejected in 1997. Meanwhile, gun control supporters are trying to get traditional ammunition banned on environmental grounds as well.

 

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Treachery! White House Moves to Strangle U.S. Ammunition Supply

News  

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Treachery! White House Moves to Strangle U.S. Ammunition Supply

Last night, news broke that the Biden Administration is taking behind-the-scenes steps to further strangle the already constricted ...

California: Fee Hike Bill Eligible for Floor Vote

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

California: Fee Hike Bill Eligible for Floor Vote

Last week, Senate Bill 918, to authorize DoJ to charge higher fees for basic eligibility checks on ammunition ...

Biden Administration Bans Importation of Russian Ammunition

News  

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Biden Administration Bans Importation of Russian Ammunition

The Biden Administration’s Department of State announced that it will soon prohibit the importation of Russian ammunition into ...

NRA-ILA Continues to Defend Use of Traditional Ammo

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

NRA-ILA Continues to Defend Use of Traditional Ammo

In April, a federal judge sided with NRA-ILA and Safari Club International and held that hunters’ use of traditional ammo ...

Judge Affirms Hunters Can Use Traditional Ammo in NRA Case

News  

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Judge Affirms Hunters Can Use Traditional Ammo in NRA Case

On April 1st, a federal judge in Arizona sided with NRA-ILA and Safari Club International and held that ...

Florida Alert! Gun Bills Filed in Florida - SO FAR

Friday, January 15, 2021

Florida Alert! Gun Bills Filed in Florida - SO FAR

As Legislators begin to file bills for the 2021 Florida Legislative Session, we are getting questions about various ...

Townhall  

Friday, October 30, 2020

Gun Rights Are the Most Under Appreciated Issue of This Election

With everyone from newspapers and commentators to campaign surrogates and the candidates themselves vying for our attention, it’s ...

U.S. Olympian: 1, Gun Controllers: 0 – Judge Blocks Unconstitutional California Ammunition Laws

News  

Monday, April 27, 2020

U.S. Olympian: 1, Gun Controllers: 0 – Judge Blocks Unconstitutional California Ammunition Laws

Kim Rhode is one of America’s most decorated Olympians, having medaled in six consecutive summer games. California, however, ...

California: California AG Seeks Stay on Ammunition Injunction Ruling

Friday, April 24, 2020

California: California AG Seeks Stay on Ammunition Injunction Ruling

As reported yesterday, Judge Benitez granted the preliminary injunction in the NRA funded case of Rhode v. Becerra.

Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction in Rhode v. Becerra

News  

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction in Rhode v. Becerra

Major Victory in Case Challenging Constitutionality of California's Ammo Background Check Law Fairfax, Va. - A major victory was secured on Thursday ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.