Posted on 01/16/2009 6:07:07 AM PST by marktwain
Reloading ammunition in Pennsylvania may become a thing of the past if a bill currently in state legislature is passed.
According to the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), “in the last year, so-called “encoded” or “serialized” ammunition bills have been introduced in 13 states — Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington.”
The bills, if passed, would require all bullets and cartridge cases to be marked with a code and registered to the owners in a computerized database, therefore, reloading would be outlawed.
“It (the bill) would eliminate reloading because there would be no way to serial it (the ammunition),” Rollin Anderson of Anderson’s Gun Shop in Watsontown said. “A lot of guys that handload (reload) are not happy about it.”
Anderson sells a lot of materials for ammunition reloading or handloading, which is when you reuse the cartridges to make your own ammunition.
“It would hurt a lot of industries,” he explained. There are so many components involved with reloading that would no longer be needed if the bill is passed, he said.
“Reloading is cost effective and is more accurate,” he added. “It (the bullet) holds a better pattern.”
Ammunition you already own could also be at risk as many of the bills state that people would be required to forfeit all personally owned “non-encoded” ammunition after a certain date. Therefore, reloading would actually be deemed illegal.
“I think it’s ridiculous!” commented State Rep. Merle Phillips. “They’d take away reloading which a lot of gun owners do to save money. It makes no sense.”
Along with encoding and registering ammunition, there would also be a five cent tax on each bullet sold, therefore, a minimum $2.50 increase per box would be enforced.
“People would still buy the loaded ammo, but it’s a lot more expensive (than reloading),” Anderson said.
According to the Ammunition Accountability Web site, the legislation was prompted by a “newly forming group” that includes “gun crime victims, industry representatives, law enforcement, public officials, public policy experts and more.”
However, Angus McClellan of the NRA-ILA Grassroots said, “this is a proposal by a commercial enterprise that has a patent on technology to imprint the codes. They are trying to create a demand for their product by making it mandatory. The owner of the company admitted on NRA News that his lobbying firm put up the whole thing.”
Sample legislation obtained from the Ammunition Accountability Web site states, “Bullet coding is a new and effective way for law enforcement to quickly identify persons on interest in gun crime investigations.”
State Rep. Merle Phillips disagrees.
“Criminals can still steal guns and ammunition,” he said.
Trooper Matt Burrows of the state police agrees with Phillips and said, “It (the encoding) would help, but I don’t know to what degree or how it would be implemented.”
According to McClellan, the NRA-ILA has been successfully fighting the passage of this legislation so far.
He said, “These bills are pending and will likely die at the end of the sessions, however, they will likely be reintroduced next session and sessions thereafter and will certainly pose significant threats.”
For more information on the Ammunition Accountability Act, visit www.ammunitionaccountability.com. You can also visit www.nraila.org for additional information and to find out what you can do to prevent this bill from being passed.
My gun shop was telling me also that because of reloaders they want the powder “tagged” with chemicals to show their origin.
I know several people who work on and with these federal databases.
I wouldn’t trust them to put together a grocery list.
We MUST be alert and active and not assume these wacky bills are going to get rejected.
Technically, it would not eliminate re-loading. It would simply (and probably unconstitutionally ) make it illegal.
The Declaration of Independence says I don’t have to follow that law.
Automobile wheel weights make EXCELLENT cast bullets (I’ve been told it’s because of the Antimony content).
Also, I already know how to make my own black powder, and I can certainly learn how to make nitro-cellulose powder.
Shell casings will eventually become a problem, I suppose, but I have enough of those to last me through my and probably my son’s lifetime.
But, we still need to quash them, loudly and strongly, EVERY time they rear their ugly little unConstitutional heads...
The days of the conservative voices remaining silent in this country should be OVER. We absolutely MUST face the DhimmiRats and LibTards at EVERY turn, on EVERY issue, and we must be louder than them. We must be at least as fanatical as them. And, we must NOT back down.
It’s time to demonstrate the power of conservative principles and push this country back onto the ‘right’ track.
It’s time to refresh the tree of Liberty, IMO.
They will say they need to mark and register ammunition.
We will say it can still be stolen.
They will then say we have to keep it locked up.
We will ask how?
They will say in a vault that costs $1000.
We will say a vault can be broken into.
They will say the ammo has to be stored in a secure govt facilty.
etc
You know, I don’t give a d**n what the law says. I will do what I please and use what I have to protect myself and my family no matter what laws they pass. I have obeyed the law all my life but this is the final breaking point when I don’t care anymore. If the highest office holder in this country as well as every congressman can break the law and get away with it, I will do whatever I have to do. The hell with them messing with my Constitutional rights. Go ahead and make my day and try to take away the only thing I have left to protect my family. I will fight to the bitter end.
The g men can’t stop the drug traffic or the invasion of the country, so I really don’t think they can do this either
The g men can’t stop the drug traffic or the invasion of the country, so I really don’t think they can do this either
In which case, they can prosecute the owner of them for not reporting the theft quickly enough. That's easier and more profitable, anyway.
There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.
My husband used to reload his shotgun shells. It’s kind of relaxing. BTW this law surprises me not in the least. I have always thought that eventually they would control guns by controlling ammunition.
Oh come on! CheeezWhizzzzzzzz! EVERYONE knows it's all part of the government's plan and just another way of stimulating the economy: one of the scant few areas where sales are booming (no pun intended) is firearms and ammo. This is due to the fear that the guns and ammo will be outlawed soon. SO, in reality, this is a good thing. Nothing to worry about. In fact, do your part to spread the fear so that others will buy (another non-intended pun) into the plan.
(/tinfoil hat off)
(/sarc off)
Primers?
I have a few thousand of the different types on hand, but I am reasonably certain I can figure out a way to reload/re-use them. I haven’t put a lot of time into it (I’ve been working on different powders), put you do make an excellent point. I better start giving that some thought and research.
Given their basic construction, the stresses on them during firing and the necessity of pressing the “dent” out of used ones in order to assure reliable re-use, I would not expect to get more than two or three uses from each one, but as I said... several thousand on hand.
And if that fails I can always go back to flint-lock.
;^)
No reason to drop our guard. A wise man once said, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
I don’t know what the solution is ... it may involve making new from sheet stock, rather than reloading ... the chemistry may, in fact, be tougher. In any case, “giving that some thought and research” is a good idea.
They are made from pretty soft metal. Maybe we can cut new ones from Budweiser cans.
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