Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

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the requirement resulted in a massive amount of paperwork that served no law enforcement purpose, Congress in 1982 rescinded it as it applied to .22 rimfire ammunition and in 1986, as part of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, rescinded it as it applied to center-fire ammunition.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.

 

issues top stories
Issue Articles
SECTION
FROM
WITHIN
Antigun Democrat Introduces Partisan Ammunition Control Bill, Claims No “Right to Bear Bullets”

News  

Friday, March 30, 2018

Antigun Democrat Introduces Partisan Ammunition Control Bill, Claims No “Right to Bear Bullets”

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) introduced the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2018. Wasserman Schultz claimed the ...

Dems introduce bill to require background checks on ammunition sales

The Hill  

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Dems introduce bill to require background checks on ammunition sales

A pair of Democratic lawmakers are introducing legislation to require a background check for all firearm ammunition sales.  ...

Louisiana: Egregious Anti-Gun Bills Brewing in 2018 Session

Friday, March 16, 2018

Louisiana: Egregious Anti-Gun Bills Brewing in 2018 Session

As the Louisiana Legislature begins its 2018 Session, several overreaching gun control bills have been filed that infringe on ...

The Daily Signal  

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Why ‘Sin Taxes’ on Ammo Will Backfire

Sin taxes of all types have unintended consequences. A new proposal to impose a 50 percent tax on ...

New Jersey: Gun Control Fast-Tracked for Wednesday Hearing

Saturday, February 24, 2018

New Jersey: Gun Control Fast-Tracked for Wednesday Hearing

New Jersey has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country, and those laws have ...

NorthJersey.com  

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Murphy lays out gun control agenda for New Jersey

Ammunition limits, the adoption of smart gun technology and stricter concealed carry rules were just some of the ...

Associated Press  

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Bill to Tax Ammunition Faces Resistance in Nebraska Hearing

A proposed new ammunition tax is drawing opposition from Nebraska gun-rights groups, business organizations and advocates for taxpayers ...

Unhappy New Year for California Gun Owners

News  

Friday, January 5, 2018

Unhappy New Year for California Gun Owners

While most of America was busy preparing to celebrate the New Year, gun owners in California were scrambling ...

Bakersfield Californian  

Friday, January 5, 2018

California: New ammo law generally panned by local firearms retailers

California's new law placing restrictions on the sale and purchase of ammunition is drawing some gripes from local ...

California: Ammunition Dealer Regulations Approved

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

California: Ammunition Dealer Regulations Approved

The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has approved the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed ammunition vendor regulations after ...

More Like This From Around The NRA

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.