Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) reintroduced the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act. This legislation effectively bans the online sale of ammunition, implements a new licensing requirement for the sale of ammunition, and requires “bulk” purchases to be reported to law enforcement.
This bill is an unconstitutional attack on our right to bear arms through curbing the sale of ammunition by making the process slower, more burdensome, and expensive.
While the internet is a relatively new phenomenon, direct-to-consumer sales are not. Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold firearms in their catalogue well over 100 years ago. In fact, Benjamin Franklin himself is often credited with inventing the mail-order business, so this concept was well understood by our Founding Fathers at the time the Second Amendment was drafted.
Americans purchase ammunition online for a variety of reasons. Many people do not live close to a gun shop or are not able to visit during business hours. Local gun shops are also often limited in their stock of certain specialized or rare ammunition loadings or only have a limited supply at any given time. Additionally, gun owners, like all Americans, are constantly looking for the best deal, which is very often found online.
To exacerbate this limitation, the legislation also requires anyone selling ammunition to be federally licensed. Many mom-and-pop shops who do not sell firearms but sell ammunition along with other goods would be required to undergo costly and burdensome regulations or else lose their ability to supply ammunition to local hunters and shooters, often in rural areas with few other options.
Furthermore, purchasing ammunition in “bulk” is not suspicious activity and reporting it to the government does nothing except alienate lawful gun owners. Purchasing 1000 rounds of ammunition, which is the threshold under this bill, is common practice for target shooters, hunters, or those who simply seek a bulk discount. Seasoned firearms owners and newcomers alike often purchase ammunition in large quantities to practice and maintain their shooting abilities, which increases their safety and competency.
The goal of this anti-gun policy is clear. It seeks to limit the sale of ammunition as much as possible and track the purchases of gun owners to interfere with our constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. This legislation is yet another sign that anti-gun politicians will stop at nothing to infringe on the Second Amendment. If they can’t stop you from owning or buying firearms, they’ll try to stop you from buying the ammunition you need to use them.
NRA-ILA will continue to monitor this legislation and fight to protect the constitutional rights of every American.
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