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March 17, 2009
DOD Issues Directive About Sale of Military Brass To Ammunition Remanufactures
No Longer Just Paranoia
For months, anyone who's proffered the position that the Obama Administration was anti-gun has been dismissed as being a variety of things, from sore loser to rampant paranoid. Nonetheless, since assuming office, members of the Obama administration have steadily- and stealthily- moved against firearms and ammunition.
Their only public blunder was Attorney General Holder's saying the "assault weapons ban" needed to be reinstated. Quickly, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi - no friend of gun owners - went on record as opposing Holder's suggestion. She went as far as to parrot the words of pro-gun groups, saying the government should enforce the laws on the books today, rather than introducing new laws.
At the same time, the State Department notified Canadian authorities of plans to issue an export ban on "military caliber ammunition" to Canada. That proposed action would prevent the sales of .223, .308 and other military calibers.
When Canadian authorities protested - and notified several members of the American media, the U.S. State Department suddenly went silent. But they quietly reinstated other rules and charges firearms exports-retroactively.
While it seemed they had been headed off on one proposal, they had actually drawn attention away from other actions. If you're into incrementalism, that translates as a win.
Anything passed brings the ultimate goal that much closer.
Last Friday, the anglers and hunters were notified that the National Park Service planned to make all lands under their control totally lead-free by 2010. No lead in ammo or fishing tackle.
As we report in today's Outdoor Wire, that decision has kicked off howls of protests - and questions about the NPS trying to usurp states' rights by issuing their unilateral decision with no prior notification. It's definitely not going to be a decision without some serious discussions. That still doesn't mean the NPS will back off on their decision.
All these things are racing along on parallel tracks. Now, many observers - and not just those on the pro-gun side of the discussion - believe the country is hurtling toward a confrontation.
The catalyst might be any one of several flashpoint issues, but both groups seem to believe a reckoning is unavoidable.
For months, I've gotten reports of everything from re-tasking of military heavy assault units for domestic violence scenarios to calls for "committees of correspondence" designed to spread news the way word was spread by citizens of the then-British colonies.
In each instance, I've discounted the reports as internet hysteria that has produced breathless notices of "the real-deal on the new assault weapon ban"- or references to HR45 - a gun registration bill that is a prime example of "eyewash legislation". It's purpose has already been achieved.
Part of that discounting has been due to the fact that hot-blooded rhetoric seems to run along with firearms ownership.
To the chagrin of industry officials, there's never a shortage of people willing to go on camera, get red-faced and spout "from my cold dead hands" phrases.
Admittedly, those people concern me, but more for their reinforcement of a negative stereotype to people who have no opinion one way or the other on firearms.
Today, however, a report that has nothing to do with rhetoric, hyperbole or rumor.
A very disturbing report that points to a very real assault on ammunition supplies.
The Department of Defense has issued a directive that bans the sale of military brass to ammunition remanufacturers.
Without that brass, a very large dent is put into civilian ammunition supplies.
New Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) requirements call for the "mutilation of shell casings". Mutilation, incidentally, is the destruction of the property "to the extent that prevents its reuse or reconstruction".
Government officials will determine what constitutes "sufficient mutilation" but it's safe to say that it will no longer be suitable for remanufacturing.
The first word of this latest decision came over the weekend when Georgia Arms' Larry Haynie released a letter notifying him of the new requirement.
For a company with an order in for 30,000 pounds of expended military brass in .223, .308 and .50 BMG, that was not a pleasant notification.
Georgia Arms was remanufacturing more than one million rounds of .223 ammunition monthly; selling that ammo on the civilian market to resellers and to government agencies all over the country.
Tomorrow, Georgia Arms will start sending cancellation notices for .223 ammunition to law enforcement agencies across the United States. Haynie says he may have to layoff half of his sixty-person workforce.
A new welcome page posted on Georgia Arms' website (www.georgia-arms.com) says simply "Due to new government regulations concerning the purchase of surplus brass, we are removing sales of all 223 and all 308 until further notice."
From there, it directs visitors to the government website for contacting elected representatives.
All of us need to start contacting our elected representatives -and telling them, quite directly, that we're not going to put up with a move that not only curtails access to ammunition (nearly all .223 and .308 manufacturing capacity is tied up to satisfy the needs of the military) for civilians - but wastes taxpayers' money turning usable surplus into scrap metal.
Reducing the ammo brass to scrap reduces the value of the metal/surplus by nearly eighty percent. It also means that recast brass - in shippable form - may be shipped to China, one of the largest markets for U.S. metals on the world market.
If this is allowed to go unchallenged, anyone who owns a modern or traditional rifle in .223 or .308 calibers will see the impact- probably sooner than later.
"Anyone" in this context means everyone from recreational shooters to law enforcement trainers.
Pulling military brass out of the consumer supply chain means that all the manufacturing capacity being dedicated to meeting the military need will effectively become unavailable to civilians - forever.
Export rulings, lead bans, and brass mutilation orders from separate areas of the federal government look coincidental - on the surface. I'm not big on conspiracy theories - partially because I doubted the new administration would have gotten its collective act together so rapidly.
Seems I've been wrong on that one - and mistakenly using the word "hoard" when talking about the nearly-insatiable demand for ammunition that continues across the country. Today, laying up of ammunition might be better described as prudent preparation for possible problems.
States are beginning to serve notice to the federal government they will not enforce laws that violate individual rights. The federal government seems intent on creating a society with increasingly higher numbers of people dependent on the government for either sustenance or employment. Average citizens are beginning to grow tired of being asked to "tote the note" for others' irresponsibility.
These are, indeed, uncertain times.
Today, it's important that every reader take time to notify Congress that we - taxpayers - oppose this latest DOD move- and all the other not-so-subtle moves against gun owners.
You can contact your elected officials in Washington by going to this webpage http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml and following the links to your respective Senator or Congressman.
One key member of the United States Senate is Montana's Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Baucus could make a call to the Pentagon and let them know their budgets might be reexamined if they don't reconsider this latest directive. At that point, the directive might labeled a "misunderstanding" and rescinded.
But it is important that we keep pressure on Congress.
If that means phone calls, e-mails, and letters, let's get that done. If that doesn't produce results, we need to look beyond symbolic gestures like sending tea bags or bringing hundreds of thousands of gun owners to Washington and state capitols to protest.
These are, indeed, uncertain times. But the time for uncertain actions may be passing.
We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, maintain situational awareness.
--Jim Shepherd
I got this from one of our nephews in my email:
An Important Message From Gun Owners Of America
Land grab bill coming back, again
Monday, March 16, 2009
Do you agree with people like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who treat the Second Amendment as if it were written only to protect your ability to go hunting and target shooting?
Or do you agree with Gun Owners of America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who believe that the Second Amendment protects a pre-existing fundamental right that is essential to the preservation of liberty?
Well, a whole lot of people in Congress are claiming to protect your Second Amendment rights, but all they’re really doing is protecting your hunting season.
We’re talking about the Omnibus Public Lands Act. You helped to defeat this bill last week in the House, but Congressional leaders have vowed to bring it up again soon.
S. 22 is an enormous package of over 190 bills lumped together with a price tag of $10 billion. The bill will greatly expand the amount of land controlled by the National Park Service, thus spreading the agency’s unconstitutional gun regulations to more areas.
Fear of upsetting gun owners — who helped elect many members of Congress from both parties — kept this bill off the floor for several weeks.
Then, in a meeting last Tuesday, not held in an open committee hearing but behind closed doors, House leaders brokered a deal with some supposedly pro-gun Democrats.
They said they were concerned about your gun rights. They said they were going to “fix” the bill.
But they did not address the NPS anti-gun regulations that prohibit carrying a firearm for self defense without a government issued concealed carry permit.
What did they do? They added language to the bill to say you can still go hunting.
That’s right. Many Congressmen claimed to be protecting the Second Amendment, when all they were really doing was thumbing their noses at self defense.
Here is the entire “pro-gun” amendment that was considered in the House. Judge for yourself if this really protects your Second Amendment rights:
“Nothing in this Title shall be construed as affecting the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of the several States to manage, control, or regulate fish and resident wildlife under State law or regulations, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting. Nothing in this Title shall be construed as limiting access for hunting, fishing, trapping, or recreational shooting.”
They may as well have called it the “Elmer Fudd Protection Act.”
A lot of people who voted for this bill campaigned for office as champions of gun rights. They said “Send me to Washington; I’ll fight for the Second Amendment.” And this is what we get? Pathetic.
But let’s be clear. The issue is not just about the NPS gun restrictions, as bad as they are. And whether or not you personally use federal land is not the point.
What is important is the disdain with which legislators hold your Second Amendment rights.
It is imperative that you speak up on this issue. The outcome of this battle will be a preview of what we can expect for the next two years.
Will your gun rights be comprised away little by little? Or will we stand together and hold legislators accountable to their campaign promises to uphold the Second Amendment?
This week there may be several votes in both the Senate and House on the Omnibus Land bill.
Congressional leaders plan to act quickly in an attempt to ram this down the throat of the American people without a fair and open process. They desperately want to avoid any amendment that would truly protect your gun rights.
Congress hopes to leave the gun ban in place, and enlarge the areas affected by it. For example, the bill expands existing park land, creates new national trails that will fall under the gun restrictions, and authorizes the federal government to buy more land adjacent to national parks and trails.
House and Senate leaders plan to move on this bill rapidly, although they are ambiguous about the process.
But our message to Congress is simple: Stop playing around with our Second Amendment rights!
We don’t care about the process. We care about the Second Amendment. And we mean ALL of the Second Amendment, not just hunting.
Tell Congress you expect them to protect your right to keep and bear arms without compromising. Please take a few seconds and send the pre-written message below.
When you’re done, become a force multiplier. Send this alert to a few friends.
It is important that you take this action because right now GOA is the only gun rights organization speaking out for ALL of your Second Amendment rights.
We’ve all forwarded jokes or funny pictures to our friends. How about forwarding a message to help protect our God-ordained constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms?
And please do not think your voice won’t be heard. Remember, this bill failed to pass the House by just two votes last week because people like you took action.
Congressmen need to know that their votes in the coming days will impact YOUR vote next year. But if they don’t hear from you and they think you’re not looking, many will treat your rights with contempt.
We’re not alone in this battle. In the Senate, pro-gun champions such as Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint are prepared to lead the fight against this bill.
In the House, Reps. Paul Broun, Rob Bishop and Doc Hastings are among those fighting hard for your gun rights.
In fact, there are many in Congress willing to stand up for the Second Amendment, but they are repeatedly squashed by the anti-gun leadership or undermined by pro-gun compromisers. Pro-gun Congressmen who want to
repeal the gun ban are being told, in effect, to “Shut up and vote!”
Friends, we know we’ve asked for a lot of action from you already this year.
Unfortunately, that is not going to stop. But we will all draw the line at some point. Let’s work together and do it now.
Thank you for working with Gun Owners of America. Our effectiveness in Washington depends on your activism. PLEASE try to get your pro-gun friends and family involved. Now more than ever, every voice is critical.
ACTION: Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to tell your Representative and Senators to reject the lands bill (S. 22) unless your Second Amendment rights are protected. Per usual, a
pre-written letter is provided for your convenience.
Pre-written message
The Omnibus Public Land Act of 2009 is expected to come to the floor soon.
I urge you to oppose this bill if, as expected, the leadership does not allow an amendment to repeal the anti-gun regulations of the National Park Service.
Recent changes made by the Interior Department only allow persons with a concealed carry permit to possess a self-defense firearm on NPS land. Non-permit holders are still prohibited from carrying a firearm for their protection.
And please don’t be fooled by a supposedly pro-gun amendment to “fix” the bill that was brought up last week during the House debate on S. 22. That language only modestly protects hunting and recreational shooting.
While protecting the rights of sportsmen is important, the Second Amendment is NOT about hunting rights. I am more concerned about my ability to defend my life, and the lives of my loved ones, than I am about plinking cans.
Congressional leaders have been ambiguous about how this legislation will come to the floor, but my message to you is clear: protect ALL of my Second Amendment rights.
Please OPPOSE final passage on any land bill that does not repeal the NPS gun ban.
Sincerely,
Once you have contacted your legislators, please consider checking out GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt’s recent appearance (along with noted author Dr. John Lott) on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch.”
Fox has posted the video on YouTube .
Judge Andrew Napolitano's show called Freedom Watch airing every Wednesday from 2pm - 3pm. Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America and John Lott, Author of "More Guns, Less Crime" discuss the Second Amendment.
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Wild Thing's comment.........aka "The cold dead handers"........
Whew they sure are are drunk with power, I hope they back away and don't do this, but the one element that can restrain them is the media and they are too busy have fantasies about their Obama, although that is wanning a tad lately, thank goodness. .
Only the King’s men shall have weapons. Only the King’s men shall be able to use the King’s lands. No game shall be taken from the King’s lands. This takes me back the better part of a millenium to Merrie Olde England.
I think these people doing this are forgetting about the millions of us across this awesome land that are imo the kind of citizens that obey the laws, are not causing trouble, know what our Constitution says and live the kind of lives that prefer not to have big government. Like it has been said law abiding citizens. I would not want to mess with that kind of person and I am one of them. And um well , how shall I put this, we know how to use a weapon, we want to be able to protect our loved ones, our property and that is something maybe one needs to be a-hem reminded of especially now. I sure can hardly wait for 2010 to get here!!!! OH and we also believe in honest elections not the kind that Obama's ACORN runs.
They will try to make the use of arms prohibitively expensive, or useless in some other way through a war of taxation and attrition, and the hyper regulation of munition factories (laws regardining workers around lead).
There are approx 60 million gun owners in this country. There are 1 million active military at best...who is going to do the eliminating?
"The tree of Liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson
Posted by Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 06:48 AM
Comments
The Clans are gathering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmr-tFPUx9M&feature=related
by James Hooker, a friend of Pat Dollard.
"We did it once. If we must, we´ll do it again."
What obama doesn't realize cuz he's an idiot, is that this country is made up of folks who's ancestors fought for freedom and liberty.
It's in the blood.
Posted by: yankeemom at March 17, 2009 09:30 AM
Now that the word is out We the People will never let the government here the end of it. We can stop this so Call Your congressman hell, call the white house, hell even try calling Gates, and call Max Baucus (and leave him 10,000,000,000 e-mails) call everybody leave messages and for God's sake BE FRIGGIN' ANNOYING. We Military Guys LOVE Our Guns too.
This DoD directive must have come down from big brother himself, because this is something that would HURT the Military sooner rather than later. All the metal disposed of would be put on the market and sold to foreign countries i.e china (the biggest purchaser of U.S. metal) and military expenses on ammunition would go through the roof. But then again like always I'm just speculating so don't quote me on it.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at March 17, 2009 10:15 AM
This is where these nitwits get the idea of a Militia and weapons, in that time in our history there were no candy asses trying to take your right to self-defense away....
"No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any State, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the United States in Congress assembled, for the defense of such State, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any State in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgement of the United States in Congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defense of such State; but every State shall always keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of filed pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition and camp equipage."
This is from the Articles of Confederation ratified in 1781. The constitution was adopted 1787 and the Bill of Rights 1789.
The second amendment, CLEARLY says, "A well regulated Militia,(COMMA) being necessary to the security of a free State,(COMMA) the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,(COMMA) shall not be infringed.(PERIOD)
First thought, 'Well regulated Militia'. Second thought, 'being necessary for the Security of a State'. Third thought, 'The Right of the People (Us) to keep(possess) and bear (carry) Arms.
Finally, the most important, the Capital Statement, 'Shall NOT be infringed'.
The founding fathers knew exactly what they were doing and did not mince words or use legalese so no one could understand what they meant. They put it in terms that every man, woman and child knew exactly what they meant.
The last I heard, the Constitution was considered our founding document, it superceded the Articles of Confederation, the bill of Rights was later written to carve into stone, exactly what Freedoms we have.
Their oath says, protect and defend the Constitution. So how is writing restrictive laws to the second amendment protecting the Constitution ? What part of 'Shall NOT be infringed' don't they understand ?
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Posted by: Mark at March 17, 2009 12:31 PM
It has begun. It is happening now. The government's war on private ownership of firearms by law abiding American citizens.
If Obama's government cannot do it all in a frontal attack they will do it incrementally by sneak attacks like this surplus brass ban. They have planned long and they have probably planned well. There will be further bans on what we can own, where we can carry, where we can shoot. There will be taxes on guns, ammo, magazines. There will be more taxes levied on manufacturers and dealers. There will be registration on private transfers. Eventually there will be national registration demanded on every gun in private hands.
I hate to see this. To me it means America is either going to move to a second revolution or America is going to renounce The Constitution and move rapidly to being a socialist country
Posted by: TomR at March 17, 2009 01:39 PM
Most excellent yankeemom. And Chrissie, we know how to shoot as well, actually we are very good shots.
Posted by: cuchieddie-25th ID Vet at March 17, 2009 03:57 PM
Yankeemom, that is fantastic, I left a comment at YouTube. I have missed James Hooker and am so glad he did this song. I used to go to his blog often, till he decided to close it down. I wonder if he started a blog again.
Thank you so much Yankeemom.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 07:05 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, I agree, I called today, also sent Faxes and emails off.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 07:37 PM
Marm, applause and a hgue thank you for all of that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 07:41 PM
Tom, me too, I hate this so much.
My Dad told me when I was such a little girl, to be aware, to really listen and read what our government is doing and wants to do, because once it is done, a bill passed it might be too late. He spoke too about one day they might come for our guns and he said he might not be in his lifetime, it migiht be in mine or the next one.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 07:47 PM
cuchieddie-25th ID Vet, yes you sure are, I love how you both are in our lives. We will all be in this together.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2009 07:50 PM
