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the requirement resulted in a massive amount of paperwork that served no law enforcement purpose, Congress in 1982 rescinded it as it applied to .22 rimfire ammunition and in 1986, as part of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, rescinded it as it applied to center-fire ammunition.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
Return to Paradise? Government of Turks and Caicos Amends Draconian Weapons Law

News  

Monday, June 24, 2024

Return to Paradise? Government of Turks and Caicos Amends Draconian Weapons Law

We have recently been reporting on the untenable situation in the popular tourist destination of the Turks and ...

Paradise Lost: Efforts Intensify for Justice in Turks and Caicos

News  

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Paradise Lost: Efforts Intensify for Justice in Turks and Caicos

Recently, we published a warning for gun owners traveling to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British territory ...

Turks and Chaos: Island Jurisdiction a Potential Nightmare for U.S. Gun Owners

News  

Monday, May 13, 2024

Turks and Chaos: Island Jurisdiction a Potential Nightmare for U.S. Gun Owners

Set aside communist Cuba for a moment, these days another Caribbean island jurisdiction is providing a cautionary tale for U.S. ...

Hawaii: Ammunition Restriction Bill Headed to the Governor’s Desk

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Hawaii: Ammunition Restriction Bill Headed to the Governor’s Desk

Just two days before the Hawaii legislative session is set to adjourn, both the Senate and House chambers ...

Hawaii: House and Senate to Vote On Revised Ammunition Restriction Bill

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Hawaii: House and Senate to Vote On Revised Ammunition Restriction Bill

As early as Wednesday, May 1st, the Hawaii House and Senate will vote on Senate Bill 2845, which ...

Hawaii: Legislation Restricting Ammunition Sales Eligible for a Vote on the House Floor

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Hawaii: Legislation Restricting Ammunition Sales Eligible for a Vote on the House Floor

Earlier this month, Senate Bill 2845 was passed by the House Committee for Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs with ...

Judge Enjoins California’s Unconstitutional Ammunition Background Check Law, Again

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Judge Enjoins California’s Unconstitutional Ammunition Background Check Law, Again

For a second time, a federal judge has issued an injunction preventing California from enforcing its ammunition background ...

South Dakota: Pro-Gun Bills Pass Respective Chambers

Sunday, January 21, 2024

South Dakota: Pro-Gun Bills Pass Respective Chambers

Recently, two pro-gun bills passed their respective chambers and are now being heard in Committee.

Kansas: Pro-Gun Constitutional Amendment to be Heard in Committee on Tuesday

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Kansas: Pro-Gun Constitutional Amendment to be Heard in Committee on Tuesday

On Tuesday, January 23rd, the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs will be holding a hearing at ...

Anti-gun Democrats, Media Collaborators, Concoct Phony “Scandal” to Ban Ammunition

News  

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Anti-gun Democrats, Media Collaborators, Concoct Phony “Scandal” to Ban Ammunition

Here we go again. Every so often, some “brilliant” firearm prohibitionist comes up with the “insight” that if ...

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.