Not content with the many anti-gun bills they constantly push each legislative session, Democrats in the U.S. Congress are now taking aim at infringing on the rights of gun owners to purchase ammunition.
Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Maryland, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersy reintroduced the Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act, which would ban all online ammo sales despite no proof that ammunition purchased online is regularly used in the commission of violent crimes.
“Since we last introduced this bill, the crisis of mass shootings has continued unabated,” Rep. Mfume said in a press release announcing the legislation. “We’ve been living with this scourge of violence for so many years as assault weapons and enormous amounts of ammunition continue to fall into the hands of diabolical people. Mass shootings are not going to stop on their own, and we cannot keep waiting for the next one to occur.”
The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act would require federally licensed ammunition dealers to confirm the identity of individuals who arrange to purchase ammunition over the internet by verifying a photo I.D. in person. The bill would also target recreational shooters who buy ammo in bulk for the cost savings, requiring ammunition vendors to report any sales of more than 1,000 rounds within five consecutive days to the U.S. Attorney General.
For her part, Rep. Watson Coleman claims the measure is another “commonsense” one, just as anti-gun Democrats claim about all of their gun-ban proposals.
“For years, we’ve watched the toll of gun violence grow while Congress fails to act. The numbers tell a devastating story, but behind every statistic is a family and a community grieving their loss,” Rep. Watson Coleman said. “Regulating online ammunition sales is a commonsense step to countering the number of mass shootings we see every year. This legislation closes the loophole that makes tragedies like these so unfortunately common.”
If you weren’t aware that purchasing ammunition online was a “loophole,” now you know. What these Democrats and their cronies in Congress really want to do is close the “private gun ownership” loophole, and this scheme is just another way to do that a little at a time.
Opponents of the measure say the legislation places undue burdens on legal purchasers without addressing the root causes of criminal violence. Also, the measure would disproportionately affect rural and disabled Americans, many of whom rely on online retailers due to a lack of nearby brick-and-mortar options.
“Despite referencing regulatory models from countries like Australia, the U.K., and New Zealand, those comparisons ignore the constitutional protections uniquely afforded to American citizens under the Second Amendment,” USAcarry.com stated in a news item on its website. “If enacted, H.R.7166 would effectively eliminate the online sale of ammunition to private citizens, forcing every purchase into a physical storefront and under federal scrutiny for even moderately-sized orders.”
The measure has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.