Lautenberg, McCarthy, Go After Online Sale of Ammunition

As predicted after the Aurora theater shooting, the anti-rights lobby is targeting Internet sales of ammunition, since some think that the reported 6000 rounds the shooter had in his possession is just too much for anyone.  Considering that Olympic Champion Kim Rhode said she goes through approximately 1000 rounds a day in practice, it's clear the anti-rights crowd have no idea how many rounds of ammunition a law abiding gun owner may use. The legislation is the brain child of New Jersey U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg and New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy.

Lautenberg had this to say at the press conference announcing the proposal:

“If someone wants to purchase deadly ammunition, they should have to come face-to-face with the seller,” said Lautenberg. “It’s one thing to buy a pair of shoes online, but it should take more than a click of the mouse to amass thousands of rounds of ammunition. This legislation is a simple common-sense step that would put safeguards in place to detect suspicious activity, helping to prevent the sale of ammunition to a terrorist or the next would-be mass murderer.”

McCarthy had this to say:

“The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act pulls ammunition sales out of the shadows and into the light, where criminals can’t hide and responsible dealers can act as a line of defense against the planning and stockpiling of a potential mass killer,” McCarthy said. “Law-abiding gun owners and shooters should support this legislation because it hinders criminals from abusing the Second Amendment right that our nation promises and could save innocent lives in the process.”

I didn't know that ammo sales were in the shadows.  Does that mean because people purchase clothing, movie tickets, dog food, and books online they are doing that in the "shadows" too?

Here are the details of the proposal:

The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act works through four components:

• It requires anyone selling ammunition to be a licensed dealer.
• It requires ammunition buyers who are not licensed dealers to present photo identification at the time of purchase, effectively banning the online or mail order purchase of ammo by regular civilians.
• It requires licensed ammunition dealers to maintain records of the sale of ammunition.
• It requires licensed ammunition dealers to report the sale of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person within any five consecutive business days.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already said there is no time on the Senate schedule to take up gun control.  However, it won't hurt to let Senator's Webb and Warner know you don't support this legislation.

Hat tip to the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association.