‘Guns Don’t Kill People; Bullets Do’: States Step Up To Close Gaps In Federal Regulations On Ammunition
A look at California shows a new strategy in place for gun-control advocates and lawmakers: focusing on the bullets.
The New York Times:
California Tries New Tack On Gun Violence: Ammunition Control
Sold from vending machines in Pennsylvania, feed depots in Nevada, pharmacies in Georgia and jewelry stores in Texas, ammunition is in many states easier to buy than cold medicine. But in California, which already enforces some of the nation’s most restrictive gun laws, there is a movement underway against the unfettered sale of bullets. Gun control advocates here have pushed to limit internet sales, ban large-capacity magazines, require sellers to have licenses, raise taxes on bullets, and mandate serial numbers or other traceable markings on ammunition so that the police can more easily track them. (Urbina, 9/9)
In other news —
The New York Times:
A Young Man Working To Stop Chicago’s Gun Violence Loses His Life To It
He was part of a group trying to stop the gun violence that has plagued this city. But this week, Delmonte Johnson was killed by it. Mr. Johnson, 19, who was fatally shot along a South Side street on Wednesday evening, was part of a group called GoodKids MadCity, which emerged in Chicago following the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla. The group has focused on curbing gun violence by pushing to create more jobs for young people and improving mental health treatment. Mr. Johnson was often among the first to show up for events and meetings, organizers said. (Davey, 9/7)
Bloomberg:
This Group Teaches Kids To Love Guns, And Taxpayers Foot Bill
In the middle of Alabama sits a $20 million shooting range run by a group that’s largely financed by the American taxpayer. It is, to be accurate, a spread of rifle and pistol ranges designed with state-of-the-art targets and electronic scoring, set under a canopy of trees on country club-like grounds. A fleet of gleaming golf carts zooms across 500 acres, tricked out with custom rifle holders to prevent mishaps on the rolling terrain. This facility is run by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, or CMP, an understated pro-gun group with a quarter-billion dollars in assets. Most of that wealth—far more than the National Rifle Association Foundation has—effectively comes from the continuing generosity of the federal government. (Weinberg and Mosendz, 9/4)
