John,

Ammunition made for the Pentagon has shown up at the sites of mass shootings across the United States for years—and the procurement of these war-time munitions is completely legal.

A blockbuster report from the New York Times detailed how the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri has sold millions of rounds of ammunition into the commercial market.¹

According to the Times:

“The plant, operated by a private contractor with Army oversight, is now one of the country’s biggest manufacturers of commercial rounds for the popular AR-15, and it remains so even as the United States supplies ammunition to Ukraine.

....

The vast majority of Lake City rounds sold by retailers have gone to law-abiding citizens, from hunters and farmers to target shooters. Some are drawn to them because they are made with the same materials and often to the same specifications as the military’s, while others see them as an authentic accessory for their tactical weapons and gear.

But more than one million pages of search warrants, police evidence logs, ballistic reports, forfeiture records and court proceedings compiled by The Times provide a sweeping accounting of how Lake City ammunition, once intended for war, has also cut a criminal path across towns and cities in nearly all 50 states.”

These military grade weapons have no business being on our streets and in our communities. Tell the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to stop contracting with companies that sell military-grade ammunition to civilians.

Lake City rounds have been found in major riots and mass shooting events such as the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, the 2012 massacre of 12 people in Aurora, Colorado, the Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School In Parkland, Florida.

Lawmakers, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Alex Padilla, Mazie Hirono, along with Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia, have recently called out this reckless policy and requested more details on its impacts from the Secretaries of Defense and the Army, but we haven't seen the changes necessary to keep us safe.

This is why it’s absolutely critical for the Defense Secretary to hear directly from you. Sign the petition to demand the Pentagon stop contracting with companies that sell this dangerous ammunition to civilians.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ ]Army Ammunition Plant Is Tied to Mass Shootings Across the U.S.
² Warren, Raskin, Garcia, Members of Congress Urge DoD to Stop Subsidizing Sale of Military-Grade Weapons to Civilians