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Ammunition scare should serve as warning to us all
Wilson County News
March 31, 2009 | 6 comments
By now, most of you have heard about HR 45, the bill proposed to Congress that would require citizens to possess a firearms license in order to legally purchase a firearm. Many local governments have begun voicing concerns over the proposed bill, and that, my friends, is certainly a good sign. But I have to ask myself, will Washington get the message? Will they leave our Second Amendment rights alone, or will they continue to seek ways of imposing their will upon us?
A couple of weeks ago, there was considerable concern over a new Department of Defense (DOD) mandate calling for the “mutilation” of spent shell casings (.50 caliber and smaller) from our military forces. Prior to the implementation of this policy, spent casings were typically sold to private companies, such as Georgia Arms, who then reloaded and sold the ammunition. With ammunition already in short supply, this new “policy” was primed to not only hurt a number of businesses, but also to send a shockwave across our nation.
OK, so maybe you don’t use reloads, have never heard of Georgia Arms, and don’t see this as a major issue. But remember, just because you don’t use them doesn’t mean no one else does. In fact, when news of the “mutilation” order was sent to Georgia Arms, they were forced to cancel several large orders they had from various law-enforcement agencies, a group I know most of us want to be well-trained and well-armed.
Consider this as well: If reloads were no longer available, or available only in very limited quantities, the majority of people who do use them would be forced to buy new ammunition. The added demand for new ammo would undoubtedly further decrease an already sparse supply right here in our own area, and would also serve to drive costs upward.
Still, others who might not own a firearm or have an opinion about ammunition supplies should be concerned. After all, don’t we all pay taxes? Recall that it is through our taxes that the military and the DOD are funded. I don’t know how much money 100 pounds of shredded and mutilated brass is worth at a scrap yard, but I would be willing to bet it’s significantly less than the value of 100 pounds of usable brass shell casings.
With all that said, there is some good news. As word of the new DOD policy spread across the country, people decided they weren’t going to sit quietly on the sidelines and hope for the best, but instead chose to pick up a telephone or to write their elected officials. People began talking about the issue, and the message was heard. Nearly as quickly as the policy had gone into effect -- it was reversed.
Perhaps equally as exciting as news of the reversal in the policy itself was news that two Democratic senators were largely responsible for the quick action. Montana’s U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester helped “convince” the DOD that the policy should be reversed, and the senators should be applauded for exercising common sense -- a trait that seems anything but “common” these days.
So why, you might ask, would I spend so much time telling you about a DOD policy that went away just as quickly as it came? Because we all need to keep our eyes open.
Whether you share the view of many and see this as a direct attack on firearms, or simply think it a waste of taxpayer money, the situation has me a bit nervous. After all, this was not a new law. It was not proposed, debated, and voted upon by our nation’s lawmakers, but was instead a simple change in “policy and procedure.”
As this new administration seeks to be involved with, or worse, in control of, even more of our country’s resources, it is our responsibility to keep our eyes open. If left unchallenged in the future, these simple “policy changes” may well serve the new administration as a means to expedite its agenda. |
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| Your Opinions and Comments |
FreedomRings
New Jersey
May 14, 2009 10:43pm
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Buck
la vernia
April 8, 2009 11:24pm
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Bob Huck
Charlotte,NC
April 1, 2009 3:03pm
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Uncle Lar
Huntsville, AL
April 1, 2009 9:00am
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James Cheshire
Enterprise Alabama
April 1, 2009 3:38am
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Rabble Rouser Extraordinaire
Adkins, TX
March 31, 2009 11:25am
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