If access to ammunition was not difficult enough all ready, a Biden Administration-imposed ban on the importation of Russian-made product will only ratchet the supply even more.
This squeeze will be particularly felt by owners of 5.56mm, 9mm, and 7.62x39mm firearms. These are almost certainly the most popular calibers sold in the U.S. and made by the Tula and Wolf brands of Russian-made ammunition.
Also, much of this ammunition is steel-cased but is non-corrosive. Plus being typically economical and thus, very popular.
Biden’s August 13th decree comes through the State Department and boils down to that agency determining it will not issue any further importation licenses for any Russian-made ammunition, effective September 7th.
This action, the State Department says, is a sanction against the Russian government for its use of the nerve agent Novichok as it relates to the August 2020 poisoning of the opposition figure to the current Russian regime, Aleksey Navalny.
Novichok is a chemical weapon agent that is banned by international treaty of which both the United States and Russia are signers.
The ammunition sanctions, says the State Department in an official fact sheet and release “..will take effect upon the publication of a Federal Register notice expected on September 7, 2021, and they will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months. The sanctions can only be lifted after a 12-month period if the Executive Branch determines and certifies to (the) Congress that Russia has met several conditions… including (1) providing reliable assurances that it will not use chemical weapons in violation of international law, (2) it is not making preparations to use chemical weapons in the future, (3) it is willing to allow international inspectors to verify those assurances, and (4) it is making restitution to Mr. Navalny.”
The firearms industry’s National Shooting and Sports Foundation adds that the new sanctions are being imposed under the “Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act”. It includes restrictions on the permanent imports of certain Russian firearms as well, though the ammunition inclusion will almost certainly impact most U.S. shooters.
“New and pending permit applications for the permanent importation of firearms and ammunition manufactured or located in Russia will be subject to a policy of denial,” the Foundation said in an explanatory statement.
“Based on NSSF discussions with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it is NSSF’s understanding that approved Form 6’s will not be rescinded and Form 6’s already submitted will be approved until Sept. 7,” said also the Foundation’s director of Public Affairs, Mark Oliva.
Retailers with existing Russian-made ammunition can continue to sell their remaining stocks. A quick check of several local gun shops showed that a run has begun on some of the Russian-made product still on the shelves.
Even so says Rob Sexton, Legislative Affairs Director, Buckeye Firearms Association, the timing of the announcement makes it even worse for the nation’s shooters and sportsmen, noting that “the last thing we need right now is another factor that makes ammo less available.”
“It’s hard to comment about foreign policy things and the need to punish bad actors, but with the current administration’s record on firearms and ammunition, you always have to be skeptical about a policy that is going to make it harder for gun-owners to find affordable and quality ammunition,” Sexton said.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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