Democratic attorney generals from 19 states and the District of Columbia urged the White House on Tuesday to crack down on an ammunition manufacturer.
Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the attorneys general sent a letter to the White House Office Of Gun Violence Prevention “to express concern about recent reports that billions of rounds of military-grade ammunition manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant have been sold on the commercial market.” The letter claims ammunition from the plant was used in multiple school shootings, as well as the Buffalo supermarket shooting, and asks the Office to conduct an investigation to ensure it “stays out of civilian hands.” (RELATED: Newly Proposed Bill Plots A Novel Attack On Americans’ Gun Rights)
“Compounding the horror, the bullets used in this [Buffalo supermarket] violence were subsidized by American taxpayers, as the federal government has apparently invested more than $860 million to improve production,” the letter states.
The ammo targeted by the attorneys general as “military-grade ammunition,” 5.56-millimeter rounds, is commonly used for popular AR-15 rifles, according to the Firearm Industry Trade Association (NSSF). One in twenty Americans own an AR-15, according to The Washington Post.
The Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is a 3,935 acre facility owned by the U.S. government and operated by a private contractor, Winchester Ammunition. A New York Times article in November linked ammunition produced by the facility to mass shootings, prompting Democrats to call for greater oversight on ammunition sales.
20 attorneys general argued today that 5.56mm ammo “should be limited to military use.” https://t.co/XTlJPlzFpE pic.twitter.com/dzTtvW2G1d
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) January 10, 2024
“In the short term, we ask your Office to investigate the contracting and manufacturing practices that led to so many billions of military-grade rounds being sold into our communities, and to issue a public report with recommendations about how to end the diversion of military ammunition into civilian hands,” the letter continues. “In the long term, we ask the White House to ensure that future production contracts prohibit the sale of military weapons and ammunition to civilians.”
States that signed onto the letter include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
A California law banning firearms in most public places took effect in January amid ongoing legal challenges after an appeals court paused an order blocking its enforcement. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney, a George W. Bush appointee, previously blocked the law in December, finding it “sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.”
The Army and Winchester Ammunition did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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