August 07, 2024

Warren, Kim, Raskin, Garcia Lead Introduction of Bill to Keep Military-Grade Weapons Out of Civilian Hands

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 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.

This bill is also cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as several members of the House of Representatives. 

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.”

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: 

  • On July 15, 2024, Senators Warren, Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) sent a letter to the Department of Defense calling on them to stop subsidizing the sale of military-grade weapons to civilians.
  • On May 15, 2024, Senator Warren and Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) sent a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai writing in support of USTR’s decision to remove the designation of import license requirements for explosives, firearms, and ammunition as trade barriers in the annual National Trade Estimate (NTE) report, while also criticizing the Department of Commerce’s inadequate steps to address assault weapons exports. 
  • On January 24, 2024, Senator Warren and Senator Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representatives Castro and Norma Torres (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, calling on the Department of Commerce to incorporate a set of recommendations from the lawmakers to strengthen export controls and end-use checks for firearm exports to crack down on the unnecessary export of lethal weapons used in brutal killings abroad. 
  • In December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Dean led lawmakers in a letter to American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, requesting that they explain why their companies have paused the implementation of a new Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun and ammunition retailers that could help flag suspicious firearm purchases and prevent gun violence, gun trafficking, and domestic terrorism.
  • In December 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) reintroduced the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act, a comprehensive bill that would implement bold and robust measures including creating a federal gun licensing system, strengthening background checks, banning military-style assault weapons and other lethal accessories, holding the gun industry accountable for wrongdoing, and investing in research and community-based gun violence prevention.
  • In November 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) sent a letter to six major financial institutions calling on them to provide critical information on their efforts to end their financial investments in the gun industry. 
  • In September 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) led 68 lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to take further executive action to combat gun violence and limit the sale of assault weapons, including to leverage the federal government’s purchasing power to improve public safety. 
  • In March 2023, Senators Warren and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), urging the departments to issue guidance to financial institutions for the full implementation of the MCC that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved in 2022 for gun and ammunition stores. 
  • In September 2022, Senators Warren and Murphy (D-Conn.) and Representatives Castro and Torres sent a letter to Secretary Raimondo, calling out Commerce for its increased approvals of export licenses for assault weapons and high-capacity magazine exports, and for putting the gun industry profits before national security and human lives. The lawmakers called on Commerce to revise its approach to assault weapons exports and to answer questions about its export license approvals. 
  • In September 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Dean sent letters to the CEOs of MasterCard, American Express, and Visa urging them to support the creation of a new MCC for gun and ammunition retailers and to request information about their reported opposition to Amalgamated Bank’s application for such a code.

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