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A couple of weeks ago, about 20 anti-freedom state attorneys general led by Letitia James from New York petitioned Joe Biden’s administration to stop the sales of surplus 5.56mm ammo from the Lake City Army Ammunition plant.  Each of those statist AG’s tried to score virtue signaling points with their hard-left constituents with the political stunt.  Not a single one of these AGs target gang violence, but rather save their anger and direct it toward law-abiding gun owners, blaming guns for the actions of violent criminals.

These would-be tyrants also risked making gun food less plentiful for America’s favorite rifle the AR-15 as Lake City makes up almost a third of civilian 5.56 ammo sales. And AR- platform guns are used by many millions (tens of millions?) of Americans for personal protection and self-defense.

On January 24, a pro-freedom contingent of state attorneys general fired back, quite effectively. Not only did they outnumber the gun control advocates including New York State’s Letitia James, but they also brought facts not feelings to the fight. Not that your average gun controller cares about facts.

Here’s a link to the five-page letter, in full.

Image via Missouri Attorney General.

From the Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey:

Attorney General Bailey Leads 28 States in Defending Missouri Ammo Company Against Erroneous Democrat Onslaught

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey led a coalition of 28 states in directing a letter to President Biden and his Director of White House Office Gun Violence Prevention Stephanie Feldman, urging them to ignore the demand of Democrat attorneys general to end commercial sales from Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, one of the country’s largest ammo manufacturers, based in Missouri.

“I will not let Joe Biden sacrifice the rights of law-abiding gun owners and manufacturers on the altar of appeasement to the Radical Left. Lake City Ammunition did nothing wrong,” said Attorney General Bailey. “I’m proud to stand in the gap with these like-minded attorneys general to protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights.”

The attorneys general write, “The United States Supreme Court stated definitively that the Second Amendment guarantees a personal right to each law-abiding citizen to ‘keep and bear arms.’ But Americans cannot exercise this constitutionally protected right to use their firearms without access to ammunition. If your office does what the Democrat attorneys general ask, then ammunition prices will increase, and ammunition availability will decrease. And those restrictions on ammunition will not resolve any of the ills discussed by our colleagues.

“Those attorneys general wrote to you casting aspersions and requesting an investigation of Lake City because they allege that the plant’s commercial ammunition was used in mass shootings. Perhaps those States should focus more on prosecuting crime to stop mass shootings—rather than trying to stop lawful Americans’ use of guns and ammunition. Their tactic is an overt attempt to punish Americans’ exercise of their Second Amendment rights. The undersigned States take an unapologetic stand to defend the Second Amendment and to set the record straight as to the facts.”

They continue, “The Democrats’ letter contains a litany of errors. These errors demonstrate our colleagues’ outright ignorance of firearms and ammunition. Chiefly, they allege that ammunition manufactured for ‘military use’ does not belong in our communities. First, the ammunition manufactured at Lake City and sold into the commercial market is not the primary rifle cartridge used by the United States military. The primary cartridge is proprietary to the Army and may not be sold commercially. Second, while the United States military purchases and uses a particular type of ammunition, that is not determinative as to whether it is ‘military ammunition’ that should be banned for public use. If the United States military using ammunition precluded that ammunition’s use by civilians, then other widely and commonly available ammunition, including 9mm and 12-gauge shotshells, would also be prohibited for public use. Indeed, Heller does not support such an openly artificial distinction. Lake City only sells ammunition to commercial customers that is legal to manufacture. Lake City complies with all the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (‘ATF) requirements.

“Lake City cannot halt commercial use without a detrimental loss to our communities and economy. If stopped, it will result in an estimated loss of 500–700 jobs or 30%–45% of the skilled workforce now employed at Lake City and countless more throughout the supply chain. In Missouri, the 3,935 acres Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is the largest producer of small arms ammunition reportedly producing over one billion rounds of ammunition per year and employing approximately 1,700 workers.

“Do not be fooled. The anti-gun radicals leading this effort are not honest brokers interested in public safety. This is part of an ongoing, and constitutionally dubious agenda to stop commercial ammunition sales in order to weaken the Second Amendment. Gun control advocates want to criminalize making ammunition even while many push back against prosecuting criminals that fire weapons. Perpetrators of gun violence should be punished—not the firearm and ammunition manufacturers. It is for that reason, when crime too often goes unchecked and mass shootings are on the rise, law-abiding citizens need the ability to arm themselves with effective weapons.”

The attorneys general conclude, “We live in volatile times. Our country needs to be prepared to face foreign adversaries rather than focusing on destroying the Second Amendment and crippling the firearm and ammunition market. We need to be primed at any moment to increase production and provide our military with much-needed ammunition to provide protection domestically and to our international allies. Lake City remains a vital part of the past, present, and future of the U.S. Military and military readiness. Rather than pushing Lake City out of business, we should be thanking them for the role they play in arming our military.

“We strongly advise against heeding the Democrat attorneys general request to investigate Lake City. There are no allegations of wrongdoing that could justify placing such unreasonable limits on Lake City or any other firearm, parts, or ammunition manufacturer. If this course continues, we intend to take any and every action necessary to defend our citizens’ Second Amendment rights.”

Every Republican attorney general joined the letter. Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and Montana led the coalition.

It’s rather doubtful that the Biden administration could shut down civilian sales of ammo from Lake City. Given how a private company runs the facility, it is ultimately up to them who they sell their excess product to, not Joe Biden.

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40 COMMENTS

  1. Well, the attorneys general screwed up with their conclusion.

    “Our country needs to be prepared to face foreign adversaries ”

    Joe has been encouraging foreign adversaries to attack us along the southern border since for as long as anyone can remember. Joe is a traitorous SOB who wants to see this country fall.

  2. I suspect the real push will come when the contract gets renegotiated. or when we get deeper into war.

  3. I’m a bit more concerned about shooting “America’s favorite rifle” here in ILLannoy. I have a bunch of 556&223 I ain’t using. None is for sale. All is available for judicious & righteous occasions…

  4. The Greatest President America has or ever will have has mental health issues I do believe.
    I HATE America and its freedom.
    8 More Years
    JRB in 2028
    Together United
    Viva los Pe’pe

  5. Why these 2A AGs never cite Miller (1939) I have no clue. SCOTUS clearly cites the introductory statement as to specifically protect arms of efficacy to the military for the People. Conversation over.

      • possum,

        Can I offer a slight correction? SCOTUS seldom pays attention to SCOTUS decisions, and almost NEVER pays attention to the Constitution (there are a few justices who do, I admit, but they are STILL in the minority).

        Having Ford focus on the F-150 Lightning (that they can’t even GIVE away), and reducing overall truck output, must be good news to your clan!

  6. “It’s rather doubtful that the Biden administration could shut down civilian sales of ammo from Lake City. Given how a private company runs the facility, it is ultimately up to them who they sell their excess product to, not Joe Biden.”

    10 years ago I would have completely agreed with this stance. After having gone through the Covid response of shutting down the entire country and shot mandates, this NO LONGER makes sense. The fact that the facility is ran by a private company means nothing. It’s all about the contract they are under. The reason private airline companies are dealing with pilot shortages has everything to do with their bending over backwards to accommodate the communist Democrat left. It’s the same story with ‘private’ trucking companies with drivers. Every private company in this country that has a government contract complied. Some that never had that refused but we lived the last few years in misery because of all this. It HAS NOT ENDED. As long as these people are in power, we are going to be dealing with lunacy.

    Biden is unfit for office and should be placed under a doctors care. Everyone from his wife, Harris, and all those around him are forcing this as his condition gets worse.

    • FJB is nothing but a meat puppet. When you see him speak on video and it appears that the audio and video is out of sync, that’s because the puppeteer with his arm up Grampa Joe’s ass is getting a sore hand… stick to the script jackass.

      • It’s been getting noticeably worse. Miner explained to us it’s because the Puppet had a stutter when he was younger. Imagine completely debasing yourself to constantly defend a group of people who will never reciprocate anything resembling that level of love and devotion. What kind of man would do such a thing? If only we had a word for that…

        • But they will.
          -universal healthcare
          -universal basic income
          -housing stipend
          -free college
          -free public transportation from anywhere to anywhere at any time you need it
          -pass/fail schooling where nobody fails
          -free utilities including Internet access

          They just need another 75 years of complete control and a few trillion more dollars and it’ll all come true with absolutely no ramifications in the real world

        • Plug into the matrix govt teet, and receive a nonstop supply of participation trophies. Utopia achieved. What could go wrong?

  7. Lake City also makes .45ACP Ball. Coincidentally I purchased a new Ruger LC45 Carbine (Model 19309) a couple days ago, and it’s a great shooter for the .45ACP and is built to handle +P ammo. And accepts Glock pattern mags, including big sticks from aftermarket suppliers such as Magpul & KSI. I plan on shooting it a lot. 🙂

    • Cool, I’m going to look that up, sounds like something I’d like to have, kinda a poor man’s Thompson I’d rekon.

      • Nope, Hi-Point is cheaper and just about the same thing.
        I was hoping for a wooden stock with a look kinda like their old 44mag.
        They need to bring that back I think.
        As for myself I’m just about burnt out on all the black rifle paramilitary look.
        I get enough attention dragging my gunm around on a string.

        • possum:
          “I was hoping for a wooden stock with a look kinda like their (Ruger’s) old 44mag.”
          If it’s the one I think you’re reminiscing, I had one of those a long time ago, but I can’t remember the model name or number. Bought it at a Montgomery Ward store in Detroit. It was stainless steel with fairly nice-looking wood furniture. Well, later I sold it.
          Ruger will never bring it back, but if they did, I’d buy one in a heartbeat. It is one of only a very few guns I ever regretted having let go of.

      • Did you know there’s a town near me that’s known as Possum Town. And in the other direction not far away, there’s Gun Town. 🙂

  8. Stooping to the level of singling out ammo goes to show how low Gun Control zealots will go to advance their agenda. I could sit here and chase around another one of their Gun Control bones but I prefer throwing Gun Control zealots a bone to chase…

    • Gunm control zealots can never stoop to low.
      Perhaps if some African tribes would have been better armed they wouldn’t have been captured by other African tribes and sold to the Dutch slave traders.
      Reparations?

      • Or maybe they could have stuck together instead of turning on each other for fun and profit. Was it racist when a black African sold another black African into slavery? Or have people done this sort of thing since the beginning of time because they could?

        Slavery in the West vs slavery in Africa. Compare and contrast. Who was the first to end it?

        • And don’t forget slavery in the middle east from the religion of peace. It was still being practiced well into the 20th century.

    • Long live the honorable Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill. She signed the letter and is clearly showing her support for “we the people” of Louisiana.
      Rep Danny McCormick on Jan 17 prefiled HB 11 which if it becomes law will add Louisiana to the list of states with CC/pertmitless carry. https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=245525

      This is the 5th consecutive year Rep McCormick has prefiled CC bills……..he ain’t a quitter.

      • Danny who I met was relected by a landslide, nice guy, beautiful family…And the Republican Gov. is standing with Texas. LA is Trump Country.

  9. They failed to mention that shutting down civilian sales would involve laying off workers, workers that would find other jobs and not be available when the military needs ammunition.

    • Pete, go here: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/Lake-City-Final-1.24.2024.pdf
      See the bottom of page 2 and top of page 3 for this:
      “Lake City cannot halt commercial use without a detrimental loss to our communities and
      economy. If stopped, it will result in an estimated loss of 500–700 jobs or 30%–45% of the skilled
      workforce now employed at Lake City and countless more throughout the supply chain.4 In
      Missouri, the 3,935 acres Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is the largest producer of small arms ammunition reportedly producing over one billion rounds of ammunition per year and employing
      approximately 1,700 workers.”

    • That’s the point. Every single thing this administration has done reduces this nations resources. If it means ultimately shutting diwn the plant entirely then that’s what will be done.

  10. Feelings win over facts more often than we’d like because all human thinking and decision making is ultimately flow-controlled by emotional centers of the brain.

    If you damage the emotional paths in the brain people actually lose the very ability to make decisions.

    When the Right realizes this, maybe they’ll make more progress.

    Now, regarding the letter.

    “…Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey led a coalition of 28 states in directing a letter to President Biden and his Director of White House Office Gun Violence Prevention Stephanie Feldman…”

    What’s the point of this letter? To threaten the administration with a good time?

    Biden reads “But Americans cannot exercise this constitutionally protected right to use their firearms without access to ammunition.”, pops 17 small, blue pills and breaks out the Jergens.

    The he gets to “If the United States military using ammunition precluded that ammunition’s use by civilians, then other widely and commonly available ammunition, including 9mm and 12-gauge shotshells, would also be prohibited for public use.”, takes another dozen pills and goes looking for a… you know what, nevermind, that’s not something I’ll put in text. Readers, even the trolls, don’t deserve that image in their head.

    We’re discussing an administration that’s pretty clearly walking right up to the line of actually starting some really serious shit with Texas (and by extension 26 other states), the kind of shit that kicks of civil wars historically, and you think they’re going to stop going after ammo because of a letter from 28 AGs? Are you high?

    If you actually look at how the Left operates and what they’re currently doing, based on their own philosophy, history and actions past and present, they’re pretty clearly going to go balls to the wall this year on a bunch of different fronts. Their behavior and the test-balloons they’re floating on social media do not bode well going forward.

    I don’t claim clairvoyance but I don’t like their current direction and I don’t think it stands a good chance of ending well. Looking at how a serious Alinksy-ite would think tactically and strategically in this situation should send a shiver down anyone’s spine.

    • The Right does this all the time.

      Ever heard a pro-lifer refer to abortion as killing babies? Yes it is that—kind of—but they are appealing to emotions. Appeal to nostalgia for a rose-colored past that never quite really existed? Emotions. Raising the spectre of terrorists in our midst and immigrants coming to take our jobs? Emotional all around. American flags on everything? Emotions. There’s a whole lot more appealing to emotion going on than actual logical reasoning pretty much everywhere you look.

      • Everyone reading this should immediately read the minutes of the expert testimony in the Gosnell trial. Of course it’s killing babies, the absurdity of claiming otherwise is truly staggering. “Oh well, we’re only denying them life, or they aren’t actually alive because we say so…” Times 73 million every year (per the WHO).

  11. They’re also trying to score points with the UN and the tyrannical UN Gun Ban Treaty. These Useless Nations has been trying to stop civilian sales of ammo for years.

    • The UN has published documents referring to the US’s 2A as one of the largest obstacles to world stability.

      Their logic is a little convoluted but worth examining.

      In a nutshell; The US’s primary export is culture. A culture that other people want to emulate to try to emulate us in terms of wealth generation.

      The problem arises that this would mean a population substantially more free than most of the world is and the UN doesn’t see free populations as something that enhance stability of the type the UN desires.

      It’s therefore necessary to change US culture so that our export ceases to create a large desire in the world to emulate a system of people who don’t promote stability.

      And, that problematic culture that we export is one that’s hard to change [by force] when the population is armed.

      Therefore: Disarm the US –> Change US Culture –> Remove our “bad influence” –> More stability in the world.

      You’d think they’d just ask us to stop bombing other countries and inserting ourselves into conflicts that don’t really pertain to us. But no, they want that 2A gone because they seem to believe quite heartily that Niall Ferguson was right when he wrote Empire.

      • Regardless … all those insecure and paranoid tyrannical bastards can pucker-up and kiss my Star-Spangled Texas-made ass.

        • My point here, and more generally, is that once you start to understand how these people think you can start to have a pretty decent idea of what they’re going to do because you have some level of understanding of how they see the world and what their goals are.

          The combination of those two things gives you some predictive power. Especially if you combine it with their known/observable tactics/strategy and their theory.

          Which, by the by, is why I find the goings-on in Texas as disturbing as I do (see above). While it’s difficult to assess from a state away what exactly is going on, I can see the narrative that they’re trying to shape and I know how they’ve used that kind of thing in the past. They’re quite obviously fishing for one (or more) of several “decision dilemmas” to place everyone into.

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