Military ammunition policy rescinded

March 18, 9:14 AMGun Rights ExaminerDavid Codrea

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Courtesy Oleg Volk, A Human Right

St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner Kurt Hofmann gives us happy news about "a grassroots win for gun rights."

There has been a lot of talk recently about the DoD's decision to destroy spent cartridge cases, rather than selling them to ammunition manufacturers for "remanufacture" into inexpensive ammo...Apparently, though, the sleeping giant that is the gun owning public of this country can be woken, given sufficient provocation--because today, the DoD reversed (already) this badly flawed policy...

That is good news. Kurt calls it, "a triumph of good ol' fashioned grassroots activism."

He's right.  And there's plenty of credit to go around for it, including to my fellow Gun Rights Examiners who brought a story most of the media was ignoring to the attention of gun owners and general readers alike.  Special acknowledgment should go to Gary Marbut of Montana Shooting Sports Association, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, and "The Shootist," Gordon Hutchinson. They brought this story to our attention and followed up on it throughout.

It should also be noted that Senators Max Baucus and John Tester were instrumental in obtaining this reversal, stating:

Prohibiting the sale of military fired brass would reduce the supply of ammunition - preventing individual gun owners from fully exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms."

NRA-ILA has posted the senators' letter to the Defense Logistics Agency and the DLA determination that the "Agency has determined the cartridge cases could be appropriately placed in a category of government property allowing for their release for sale."

While I commented on their public silence, it's evident the Association worked behind the scenes to help bring about this resolution.

Finally, as Kurt noted, it's been "a grassroots win."  Many of you let me know you had contacted your representatives, and others copied me on correspondence they sent to Senators Baucus and Tester.  Between that and your spreading the word like...like a grassfire, enough attention was given to this to get results.  That they happened so quickly is impressive, and ought to prime us for engaging in the next challenge--and the ones after that.

Enough.  I remarked when I diverted my attention to this story that there were other priorities to be covered, and I feel like an air traffic controller with flights stacking up.  One thing I've found in the years I've commented on gun rights is the well never runs dry--it's never a question of trying to come up with an idea to write about, it's a question of which ones I need to focus on.

There are several in the queue, and all deserving.  I plan on doing another post later today to call your attention to just a few of them.