ATK Responds to Ammo Accusations

TTAG’s Brad Kozak recently reported on defense contractor and ammo demilitarizer ATK (Why Is Ammo So Expensive? Ask Uncle Sam). In a nutshell, the company stands accused of doing an end-run around a Congressional mandate to release the military’s spent brass to the civilian market. Selling the brass to the bases that created it (for … Read more

Counterpoint: Obama Did Not Cause Ban on the Sale of Spent Brass

Tom Fujan recycles expended Air Force small arms brass shells on Nov. 5, 2007. The machine renders the shells unusable and ready for sale.

In a recent article on this blog, Brad Kozak claimed that, in an effort to discourage gun ownership, President Obama directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to stop the sale of spent military casings to remanufacturers who produce civilian ammunition:

Then the Obama administration decided that it didn’t want to do anything that would encourage private citizens to own guns. They instituted a policy change that prevented the military from auctioning off their spent brass cartridges to remanufacturing companies.

Yes, this caused ammunition prices—which were already rising—to skyrocket. But is it proof of Obama’s anti-gun agenda? No.

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Why Is Ammo So Expensive? Ask Uncle Sam

You’d think at a time of 10 percent unemployment, rising taxes, out-of-control government spending, and deficit spending out the wazoo, you’d think that Uncle Sam would jump at the chance to save a buck or two, by selling off some stuff from their vast, overstocked warehouse. And you’d be wrong.

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