The White House has done away claims by the American gun industry that the Biden White House is planning a measure that would cut off up to 30% of the civilian supply for widely used rifle ammunition.
Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly considering a policy that would greatly reduce the availability of civilian 5.56mm/.223 caliber ammunition — rounds used by popular AR-15 rifles — and put national security at risk, according to representatives from both Winchester Ammunition, a top ammo maker that supplies the US military, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The Biden administration is going after a government-owned Missouri ammunition plant run by Winchester as part of its work against guns after several national mass shootings, according to Larry Keane, senior vice president for public affairs in the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Lake City Army Ammunition Plant is located in Lake City, South Carolina, and makes small-caliber ammo for the U.S. military under a government contract with the company. For some years, it has sold surplus ammunition made at the plant in excess of what the military needed on the private market.
On May 21, an article published on the Truth About Guns blog revealed that the White House was “considering” a regulation that would prohibit the sale of excess 5.56mm/.223 ammunition on the commercial market.
Keane said he had spoken to town officials in Winchester, who informed him that the administration was currently talking with the ammunition producer about executing this plan.
“They were told that the U.S. Army was considering issuing a policy edict that would restrict Winchester from selling into the commercial market beyond the military’s requirement for excess ammunition to civilians,” Keane said.
He said that extra ammunition sales are around 30%-40% of the consumer market for 5.56 ammunition, which is the top round for sporting rifles, which includes the AR-15.
