A proposed House bill introduced by a freshman democrat would eliminate the ability for consumers to purchase ammo over the internet.
Introduced on Tuesday by New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, H.R. 2283, known as the “Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015,” primarily seeks to “require face to face purchases of ammunition.”
“This bill would take the most basic steps to slow the proliferation of guns and ammunition, helping to prevent events like what we saw in Aurora, Colorado three years ago,” Coleman announced in a press release. “Congress can, and must do more to keep our families safe, and we’re urging them to do just that.”
The bill, which has already been co-sponsored by 30 House Democrats, would also require the federal government to issue licenses to ammunition dealers, in addition to requiring them to report bulk ammo purchases of over 1,000 rounds by “unlicensed persons.”
“A consumer product that has the potential to kill, like a bullet, should be regulated in a manner similar to cigarettes and certain allergy medicines,” Carole Stiller, president of the Brady Campaign’s anti-gun Million Mom March, added.
The proposed legislation has earned the scorn of gun aficionados, who view the bill as ineffective, and ultimately a roundabout way of infringing on the Second Amendment.
Responding to New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone’s remark that someone in the possession of 6,000 rounds of ammo “boggles the mind,” Mark Chestnut writing for Americas1stFreedom.org highlighted that competition shooters typically use up 1,000 rounds per day.
“And when you tend to burn through ammo by the caseload each week, buying it online to save even a few cents per round can ease your shooting budget more than just a little,” Chestnut notes.
Additionally, the provision requiring sellers to report purchases of more than 1,000 rounds of ammo, as Chestnut points out, could easily be bypassed.
“If someone wanted to wage such an attack with more than 1,000 rounds… he or she could easily skirt the proposed law by purchasing 950 rounds this week, then 950 again next week.”
Govtrack.us gives the bill a “1% chance of being enacted.”
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015
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