Democrat Senators Propose New National Ammo Regulations

Two senators – one with a familiar name – have recently proposed new regulations on ammo sales. Earlier this month, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Robert Garcia (D-CA) introduced a bill that would essentially regulate ammo like firearms.

Warren and Garcia tout the law as a “common sense measure” that will “save lives” by making sure that ammo “stays out of the hands of dangerous people.” But some supporters of the Second Amendment are saying the law is just another example of the Federal government trying to make life difficult for law-abiding gun owners.

What is the Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight (AMMO) Act?

Introduced on November 3, the Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight (AMMO) Act is a newly-proposed law. Essentially, it works to make acquiring ammunition more difficult. Anyone who violates these new laws would be fined up to $250,000, imprisoned for up to 5 years, and lose their license to sell ammo or firearms.

Background Checks for Ammo

First and foremost, the law would place ammo under the same regulations as firearms. In other words, you’d need to pass a background check at an FFL to buy ammo. This would essentially end eCommerce ammo services (one of the things that makes America so great).

Buyers would also need to fill out the equivalent of a 4473 to purchase ammo. This means that every time you bought ammo, you’d have to write down your name, age, and home address for governmental records.

Ammo Limits

Furthermore, the new law would set limits on how much ammo someone could buy in a month. The bill proposes a cap of 100 rounds of .50 caliber ammo and 1,000 rounds of smaller cartridges per five days.

Other Restrictions

That’s not all, though. The AMMO Act would also add new restrictions on who can sell ammo. Right now, no federal laws regulate the transfer of legal small arms ammo from one party to another. That means that anybody can buy ammo from anyone else. They can even sit on it for a few years, sell it, and make a profit.

Next, the new law would extend all straw purchasing laws that currently exist on firearms to also include ammo. It would also force sellers to share data on ammo sales with regulators.

And lastly, under the AMMO Act, anyone who wants to sell ammo would need to have an FFL of their own – essentially making them a gun shop.

Final Thoughts

While I don’t see this bill passing, it’s definitely going to act as a gauge for public opinion on gun control. The bill’s supporters want to get a reaction out of the public to see how the average person feels about new gun laws. Even if this doesn’t pass, it’ll be a data point for lawmakers to craft new legislation in the future.