07/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/08/2024 00:59
A November 2023 New York Times investigation revealed that ammunition from a government-owned manufacturing plant was increasingly being sold on the commercial market
Text of Bill (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Representatives Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, introduced the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act of 2024 to stop military-grade assault weapons and ammunition from finding their way onto our streets. The bill also incentivizes firearms and ammunition dealers to adopt good safety practices by making them eligible to contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) if they do so.
The bill follows a July 2024 letter that Warren, Raskin, Garcia, and other lawmakers wrote to the DoD, expressing serious concern about a DoD contractor's practice of using a DoD manufacturing plant to produce military-grade ammunition and then selling that ammunition to civilians. The lawmakers focused on the government-owned, contractor-operated Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which produced ammunition that has been used in at least 12 high-profile mass shootings since 2012. The plant is responsible for producing a third of ammunition used in AR-15 style rifles in the U.S. market.
The Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act prohibits DoD contractors from selling military-grade assault weapons and ammunition to civilians. It also requires that military contractors only sell all other firearms and ammunition to commercial dealers that follow minimum safety practices, such as maintaining a low number of crime gun traces and screening customers.
The act also increases oversight by requiring government-owned plants to report to Congress the scale of their commercial sales and operational plans for avoiding diversion into the illegal market, and requiring the DoD to report the types of firearms sold by military contractors and the amount of revenue those sellers receive from DoD annually.
"Our tax dollars should not be subsidizing gun violence in America," said Senator Warren. "My bill will ensure defense contractors are not selling weapons and bullets of war to potential mass shooters, and help keep our communities safe."
"There should never be a government label on ammunition used in a deadly mass shooting. That's why the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act will prevent military-grade ammunition by Department of Defense manufacturing plants from hitting our streets," said Congressman Garcia. "I am proud to have launched an investigation into the Lake City Ammunition Plant, which highlighted a gaping problem in our government's manufacturing of weapons and its effect on the number of mass shootings that occur in our country every day. We have a serious gun epidemic in the United States, and we must stop gun violence before it starts."
"Military-grade weapons have no place on our streets and in our communities," said Congressman Kim. "This bill comes out of conversations I've had with families across my district who are worried about these kinds of guns getting into the wrong hands. I've introduced this bill because our families deserve security and peace of mind, and this bill would help keep them safer."
"Today, we are taking concrete steps to hold the Department of Defense and military contractors accountable for their role in fueling America's gun violence epidemic. By enacting common-sense purchasing standards for the Department, military contractors, and their commercial purchasers, we would curb the use of military-grade ammunition and help keep weapons of war out of reach of criminals and other dangerous individuals," said Ranking Member Raskin. "As the single largest buyer of guns and ammunition, the Department of Defense has a responsibility to reduce the flow of deadly firearms into our streets, enhance transparency, and incentivize the gun industry to adopt better safety practices. I am proud to stand alongside Representative Andy Kim, Representative Robert Garcia, and Senator Elizabeth Warren to protect public safety and the right to live free from the endless gun violence and mass shootings that are tragically commonplace in America."
"Weapons of war should not be made readily available to the public. But under current law, defense contractors can sell ammunition and assault weapons produced by DoD manufacturing plants to the general public. We cannot allow defense contractors to continue to profit from the gun violence public health crisis in this country," said Senator Durbin. "I'm joining my colleagues to introduce the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act and ensure that DoD-manufactured products stay off the streets."
Co-sponsors include: Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
This bill is endorsed by the following organizations: Everytown, Brady, Giffords, Guns Down America, and March for Our Lives.
Senator Warren has led efforts to implement gun violence prevention reforms and hold agencies accountable for their handling of firearms sales:
###