DOD destroying spent casings?

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I found this on one of the forums today and have seen similar reports on other ones:

“... The facts as I know them, which come directly from candid discussions with my CEO, indicate the following:

- Prior to 11/2008, Demil B items required no mutilation for sale to the public. That policy changed in November, but several exceptions were granted. Expended munitions brass was one of those given a waiver.

- Enter the new administration. Since Demil B category items had been given a broad, general label as "national security sensitive" someone above the DRMS (likely in the DLA) reviewed the policy and immediately went with a CYA policy and yanked all exemptions. No thoughts or considerations were given to the implications of this policy change, but this directive was issued to DOD Surplus effective immediately last week.

- Big storm blows up as a result. In particular, the letters, phone calls, and emails to our legislators, the media, and anyone else who would listen caused this policy to be review post haste.

- As of this morning our company was informed that expended munitions brass will now be reclassified as Demil Q –– which requires no mutilation unless sold to a foreign country.

There you have it. The policy change was simply the result of some n00b administrator attempting to close a perceived "national security" loophole and brass got caught up in the snare. There was no political motivation behind the policy change, but it is good that people like us were suspicious, got involved, and helped bring about a resolution.”

I checked at http://www.georgia-arms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; today and the notice concerning this and their discontinuing .223 and .308 loads is gone as of 6:34PM

Further checking on other sites where this matter was being discussed yields that it will take roughly 24 hours for changes about this on auctions for fired cases to show up. In other words, some may still show that the cases have to be destroyed but should not after the 24-hour time-period has passed.

Best.

[Oldgringo]

The discussions on both THR and AR15 indicate that this has been rescinded as of 4:30pm today.

Also, GeorgiaA Arms has removed the notice from their web site.

Let's all hope (pray) this is good news. Frankly, I was a little dubious since neither Snopes, Google nor the DLA website had any info on a current brass demo order.

[Mike1951]

The discussions on both THR and AR15 indicate that this has been rescinded as of 4:30pm today.

Also, GeorgiaA Arms has removed the notice from their web site.

Let's all hope (pray) this is good news. Frankly, I was a little dubious since neither Snopes, Google nor the DLA website had any info on a current brass demo order.

This was not a hoax! It was a bureaucratic mix-up that posed a real threat to ammo reloaders and shooters.

The lag time of implementing a new policy makes the lack of mention meaningless.

Before it was rescinded, earlier today, existing auction lots were edited to include the requirement for destruction.

[Taxman]

I think it was a calculated "mixup"! I am not a military man, but I get the impression that we are under a series of "probing" attacks. I think these clowns in the administration are testing our defenses on all fronts! Economy, healthcare, gun control, energy and only the lord knows whats next! JMHO

[TheArmedFarmer]

I believe that there is a lot of truth to the proverb: "Don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity."

Whether this was a nefarious attempt against us by the antis, or whether it was a big mixup, I bet we'll never know. I couldn't be happier with this outcome, however. It's nice to hear some good news for a change.

[Mike1951]

The source of the problem appears to stem from an action by a Bush bureaucrat back in November when it was miscoded but with an exception for .50 cal and smaller.

Then it appears that the current bureaucrat ended the exceptions, creating the problem.

I understand that the solution was to properly code the brass.

[Oldgringo]

I believe that there is a lot of truth to the proverb: "Don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity."

Whether this was a nefarious attempt against us by the antis, or whether it was a big mixup, I bet we'll never know. I couldn't be happier with this outcome, however. It's nice to hear some good news for a change.

My eyes are getting tired from keeping them peeled.

[Excaliber]

I think it was a calculated "mixup"! I am not a military man, but I get the impression that we are under a series of "probing" attacks. I think these clowns in the administration are testing our defenses on all fronts! Economy, healthcare, gun control, energy and only the lord knows whats next! JMHO

If this was an "error", it occurred in a suspiciously sensitive spot in the civilian ammunition supply chain for the country, and it arose during a time of high distraction with the extremely heavy news coverage of the AIG bonus affair and while ammunition in civilian defense calibers is already extremely hard to come by. Eroding liberty through bureaucratic regulation when public attention is directed elsewhere is a tried and true tactic of those who do not give their allegiance the Constitution.

I'm not inclined to treat events of this nature as coincidence.

There is much less to be lost by treating what appears to look, walk, and quack like a duck as a duck than by believing there must be another explanation, particularly when a suspiciously weak one is supplied after light is focused on the topic.

While this particular circumstance may have turned out OK due to an alert second amendment community, what happened here should serve as a wake up call for what may be attempted further down the road. If there was no nefarious intent in this case, heightened watchfulness won't hurt a thing. On the other hand, if there was, a failure to look sharp as we stand guard could cost us our freedoms.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

[Purplehood]

In any event it is a potential lesson to those for and against gun-rights.

[TheArmedFarmer]

Well said, Excaliber. I completely agree with you.

[AEA]

They changed their minds.

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... =7&t=23370" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Charles L. Cotton]

STATEMENT FROM NRA CHIEF LOBBYIST CHRIS W. COX
Military Surplus Cartridge Case Issue Resolved


Wednesday, March 18, 2009


Yesterday morning, the Department of Defense informed NRA-ILA that fired military small arms cartridge cases are once again eligible for sale, following a temporary suspension in such sales instituted last week. NRA-ILA began discussions with DoD shortly after the suspension took effect, and we were assured from the beginning that efforts were underway to resolve the issue favorably.

Yesterday afternoon, DoD additionally confirmed the lifting of the suspension to pro-Second Amendment United States Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who sent the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) a joint letter vigorously opposing the suspension, on the grounds that it had "an impact on small businesses who sell reloaded ammunition utilizing these fired casings, and upon individual gun owners who purchase spent military brass at considerable cost savings for their personal use."

Everyone who would have been impacted by the suspension, had it become permanent, owes thanks to Senator Baucus for his leadership on this issue, as well as to Sen. Tester and U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who also weighed in strongly on behalf of gun owners and the suppliers from whom they obtain ammunition reloaded with surplus military brass.

In announcing that the suspension has been lifted, DoD also made clear that no cartridge cases that, in the absence of the suspension, would have been sold for reloading purposes were destroyed while the suspension was in effect. Such cases were instead protected by DoD during the suspension, and are again eligible for sale. With ammunition currently in short supply, that was welcome news, to be sure.

DLA also put to rest various theories and rumors that were circulated on the internet, concerning the reason for the suspension. As DLA explained to Senators Baucus and Tester, and to NRA-ILA, DoD officials responsible for the demilitarization of military property temporarily halted the release of the cartridge cases last week, pending review of a policy change issued last year by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which, in the interest of national security, halted the sale of items within a broad category of government property including, but not limited to, surplus small arms cartridge cases.

To make cartridge cases eligible for sale once again, DoD demilitarization officials verified that the cases could be appropriately placed in a category of government property allowing for their release for use within the United States, and then executed the recategorization. Whereas during the brief suspension, fired cartridge cases would have been releaseable only if the purchaser crushed or smelted them, now the cases may be sold as before, intact and reloadable.

DoD also assured NRA-ILA that companies previously authorized to purchase cartridge cases under Trade Security Controls need no further vetting at this time, and are eligible to resume purchasing cases under the policy adopted yesterday.

In sum, a problem that could have had serious repercussions for the remanufactured ammunition industry and the countless gun owners who support it, appears to have been resolved quickly.

For more information:

http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/DLA.MilitaryBrass.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/DLA_mcunningham.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chuck TX]

They're just testing the waters here and there.

[seeker_two]

I think it was a calculated "mixup"! I am not a military man, but I get the impression that we are under a series of "probing" attacks. I think these clowns in the administration are testing our defenses on all fronts! Economy, healthcare, gun control, energy and only the lord knows whats next! JMHO

I suspect that you are right....we'll see plenty of these "probes" in the future on 2A issues...and many others.

Keep a close watch and your reps' e-mails ready to use at a moment's notice....