Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California, wrote to Army Secretary Christine E. Wormuth Friday asking for more details about how taxpayer funds are used to subsidize ammunition made for commercial sale at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant near Kansas City, Mo. The plant is operated by Olin Winchester, a unit of Clayton, Mo.-based Olin Corp.

In the letter, Garcia cited investigative reports by the New York Times and Bloomberg which found that ammo used in a dozen mass shootings since 2012 and other violent crimes were traced back to Lake City. The mass shootings include the 2012 Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting, the 2017 Las Vegas Strip shooting and the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

“I think we need to make a decision on whether this is smart to basically subsidize a private company — that we are paying for the bullets and they’re being turned around to kill our own people,” Garcia told The Messenger in a phone interview.

The Department of the Army and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Messenger.

The Lake City plant was built during World War II, but has been operated by various private contractors — with Army oversight — for over a decade. It is now one of the biggest manufacturers of commercial rounds for AR-15s, a magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, according to the New York Times.

“While public-private partnerships may be appropriate to maintain a robust defense industrial base, direct or indirect federal subsidies may be artificially increasing the availability of ammunition in the civilian marketplace and contributing to serious violence by private citizens,” Garcia wrote in his letter.

— Bruce Gil in Congress Scrutinizing Army Ammunition Plant That Made Bullets Used in Mass Shootings

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

63 COMMENTS

    • Lake City is a profit center.

      It’s in the national interest to keep the plant running 24-7-365, year-in, year-out, to preserve critical institutional knowledge regarding ammunition manufacturing.

      Fuck that asshole… 🙁

  2. Someone should ask the “congressman” why we’re payin a-holes like him to allow people who should be in a cage to roam the streets usin these evil bullets to kill other folks! don’t bother waiting for an answer!

  4. Typical id10t Democrat fails econ 101 it is private ammo sales that support and subsidize the government by bringing economies of scale to the production of ammunition the government needs.

    • Uh maybe, I know of another Army Ammunition Plant that makes bombs, mortars, and artillery shells.
      I doubt many citizens/civilians are buying those. It runs a skeleton crew until things heat up. Its working overtime now and employment there is easy to acquire if you can pass a background check.
      Your Tax dollars at work.

      • Every artillery shell plant in the free world is now running 24-7-365 trying to supply Ukraine, and rebuild depleted world stocks for when China gets around and decides to invades Taiwan.

        Every worker in that plant now has a job for the rest of their lives if they want it, Possum… 🙂

        • theBiden went to China and smoothed everything thing out.
          So we dont have to worry about that.
          All it cost was the agriculture land in the United States and 3 Hunter B paintings.
          Plus China pinky swore to cut down on their carbon emissions.

  5. “I think we need to make a decision on whether this is smart to basically subsidize a private company — that we are paying for the bullets and they’re being turned around to kill our own people,”

    So he’s against federal dollars subsidizing baby murder? We can thank the “great conservative” Ronald Reagan for making this illegal immigrant legal.

    • That’s right little dude…weren’t a single Mexican nowhere around until the so called conservative Ronald Reagan came along. If you want to stoop to point your politically inept fingers at Ronald Reagan then first you need to point to joe biden.

      • @Debbie W.
        You have no idea what you’re talking about. Don’t take my word for it. Let’s hear it straight from the horses mouth where he literally says that Reagan is the reason he’s now in Congress! Not Joe Biden. Ronald Reagan. Focus Debbie. Focus. There’s a reason no one here cares for you. You go around randomly attacking people for no reason. I don’t give a hoot about the Republican sacred cows that you’re so interested in protecting. Next time you want to attack me, try to do some research first so you don’t come across as such an ignorant Karen.

        like many immigrants who arrived in the United States before 1982 and were put on a path to citizenship as a result of an act signed by former President Ronald Reagan

        “…the president (Ronald Reagan) who is a reason that I’m actually in Congress…” -Robert Garcia
        https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article271118317.html

    • Hey, ding-dong! Try reading ‘.rusty chains’, above He actually has a grasp of basic economics! It’s private dollars subsidizing a government operation. Bringing the economies of scale to the government’s small arms ammunition supply effort! Not the other was around!

      • I don’t want the government subsidizing growing corn, solar panels, food stamps, housing, health care….

        • That roundup ready corn is dangerous no sht.
          Monsanto leads the way in unexplained death, birth defects and mental disorders.

        • possum………..that may be the most direct, to the point, and lacking of any humor or general silliness post I have ever seen you make. That it is dead on accurate and criminally underrepresented in reporting and investigation is only in competition with Phizer for worst corruption at all levels.

  8. Looks like it is not only Biden who is mentally completely off the charts… I am more and more convinced, that having zero functioning brain cells is a requirement to join that party.

  9. Two legislators from the same party asking similar questions does not constitute Congressional scrutiny. Well, I suppose it depends on the specific definition of “congress.”

  10. But are they?
    I thought they sold to the civilian market in order to keep the plant running when there were no military orders, no taxpayer money involved.

    • Bingo. Otherwise military ammunition would cost significantly more, and ramping up and down based on government orders would cause significant costs and delays. The sales of ammunition to the civilian market offsets those costs and allows the plant to operate continuously.

  11. It’s like he didn’t do any research before he opened his mouth…
    Oh wait, I forgot I was referring to a congress critter.

  12. According to the report, the gunman responsible for the Buffalo supermarket shooting that killed 10 people in May 2022 also mentioned Lake City in his manifesto. The shooter reportedly wrote that he planned to fire at security guards through a window and said the rounds made at Lake City were “the best barrier penetration ammo I can get.”

    Semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15 are becoming the most commonly used weapon in mass shootings in the United States, according to the National Criminal Justice Association. As of May 2022, the United States had 20 million AR-style rifles in circulation. There are nearly 400 million guns owned by US civilians in total.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/an-ar-15-ammunition-factory-built-to-supply-the-military-shifted-to-commercial-sales-and-is-now-tied-to-more-than-a-dozen-mass-shootings/ar-AA1jOb1g?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=8ecb445601474b229d5605fc918df079&ei=82

  13. But subsidizing abortions and free birth control and tampons is fine though. Because what we care about being subsidized doesn’t matter

    • Under federal law, the federal government does not fund abortions. Planned Parenthood does subsidize women’s health care services, including cancer screening, mammograms, pregnancy counseling, and yes, birth control.

      • “Under federal law, the federal government does not fund abortions. Planned Parenthood does subsidize women’s health care services, including cancer screening, mammograms, pregnancy counseling, and yes, birth control.”

        It depends.

        Under federal law, the federal government does not fund abortions…. directly.

        Federal funds can be used for abortion, through Medicaid, for abortion in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment of the pregnant person, in most states. However, some states (around 17) do go beyond this limit and use state funds (which is funded by federal government funds either whole or in part) to cover other abortions for people enrolled in Medicaid for other than rape, incest, or life endangerment or in other words elective abortion if enrolled in Medicaid.

        Federal funds and State funds (which can also consist in part of federal funds given the states), tax payer dollars, collectively fund around 75% of Planned Parenthood operations, allowing them to put other non-government (federal and state) funds towards abortions not covered by Medicaid so in an indirect way by freeing up other non-federal funds in this way the federal funds do fund abortions. But, states also receive a 90% federal reimbursement on Medicaid family planning spending which includes abortion as a whole, so once again in an indirect way the federal government does indirectly fund abortions by reimbursement on Medicaid.

  14. They dont care what we dont want subsidized and wont give it the first look. because they know best. BURNS ME UP!!!

  15. Um actually we the shooters are subsidizing the plants readiness for military operation, not that it’s subsidizing us.

    This also wholly ignores that we are the tax payers who fund the plant in the first place.

    This also ignores that the government left tons of ordnance in Afghanistan, sent tons of guns to Mexican Cartels who have used them to “kill our own people” along with a bunch of other incidents I’m sure I’m forgetting.

  16. Hmmmm no….as stated by their many Marxist communism buddies…”we don’t want the people to have arms and ammunition because they can use them against us when we become their masters.” … and thats the reason this Democrat wannabe tyrant with the same left wing mental illness ‘mind virus’ as the rest of the left wing is wanting to do this.

    The left wing doesn’t do anything unless its for money and/or power.

    • Question: Why are they trying to take away our guns?
      Answer: Because we would shoot them if they tried to..

    • [The Battle of Danzig post office}

      “The Polish mail-men are hitting the Nazi’s birth certificates with a ‘Return to Sender’ stamp.”

      “It is entirely within the realm of possibility those 4 Nazis were the first men to die in WW2, and it was from mail men with machine guns.”

      43 Polish mail-men took on 180 Nazi SS. That’s balls.

      I just love the way the ‘Fat Electrician’ does history… 😉

  19. “Free Ammo from Lake City”? Nope have not seen that advertisement. Ammo is not subsidized for the civilian market, but what would it know it’s a Dem legislator (I don’t want to miss identify so it’s it).

    • Propaganda.
      It was fine and dandy until the illegal immigrants were bussed out of Texas.
      Now .giv is setting up the hate.
      Sanctuary citys until they seek sanctuary.

  21. I would imagine Christine saw the letterhead was from a California congressman and said, ” I ain’t got time for this shit.” and tossed it in the trash.
    That’s why the Pentagon never responded.
    California and New York , Junkieville with shit streets doesn’t impress much.

  22. Wait, is Lake City actually selling ammunition to the public at below-market prices?

    Or does this tool just not know what a subsidy is?

    • “Wait, is Lake City actually selling ammunition to the public at below-market prices?”

      Lake City’s continuous production does help stabilize civilian ammo prices, no doubt…

    • If anything, I hope the states decide to each build their own ammo plants.

      I’d like to buy Florida head stamped 5.56…

  24. Ahh, I see the NYT article has accomplished its goal: To get at least one moron in Congress to make a whiny noise about something that they completely mis-represented and fail to comprehend. So, basically, another day at the NYT.

  26. I read that article, and as I recall, it talked a lot about Lake City but it did not make a direct connection between LC ammo and mass shootings, only between that caliber ammo and those shootings, IMPLYING it was LC ammo. The point of the article was to encourage congress critters to cut off civilian sales, failing to realize that without those sales ammo sales to .gov would cost much more. Otherwise the plant operator would either not make money or would lose money operating the plant.

  27. Another Leftist ninnie from California has made the second stupidest statement of the year.

  28. This was pretty well summed up when you said California congressman. At that point I knew it would be a dimwit with an even more dimwit point. There should be a program of passing out guns and ammunition every year where the citizen militia can stay in practice.

  29. Primary reason for Lake City to sell off ammunition is to dispose of excess. Lake City maintains an excess production capacity in the event a sudden government need arises (war, temporary conflicts, etc.,). When the need arises, ammo earmarked for the civilian market is routed instead to the military along with all future production until the need no longer exists. This way they can keep highly trained individuals actively employed and not lay them off and try to re-hire in an emergency. This will prevent issues with learning curves, and always maintain immediate expansion capabilities.

  31. Didn’t Reagan legalize about 12 to 15 MILLION illegal aliens in his surrender to those wanting cheap labor?

    • “Didn’t Reagan legalize about 12 to 15 MILLION illegal aliens in his surrender to those wanting cheap labor?”

      Yes, he did. Teddy Kennedy The Drunkard led the charge to legalize the illegals. He, and many others, said it was impossible to deport that number of people, so, in return for mass legalization, the cabal promised that tightening the border would prevent that number from growing. Teddy the Drunk then led the fight to legalize everyone who could break into the US. He only got half his goal…illegals now are handed court date papers, before disappearing into the landscape.

      As we would say in Texas, Reagan got hornswoggled.

      • There was no useful reform deal in return for what the dems wanted. Republicans have been an ally to illegal immigration until Trump was elected and somewhat changed the party philosophy. Listen to people like Rubio pre-Trump. They repeat dem talking points.

  32. Keep in mind that when the crap hits the fan as long as you have a rifle of any caliber and a few boxes of shells you are in the fight. If things go our way there will be plenty of rifles and ammo lying around where we can supply ourselves. If it doesn’t go our way never mind.

  33. 2022- 20,000 gun deaths—— 42,000 automobile deaths.
    SHUT DOWN ALL OIL WELLS, OIL REFINERIES AND GAS STATIONS! STOP SUPPLYING FUEL TO MURDEROUS AUTOMOBILES!
    (Sarcasm)

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