Democrat Representatives Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) are at it again, reintroducing their pet legislation to slam the brakes on online ammunition sales—a move that’s less about safety and more about chipping away at the Second Amendment one cartridge at a time. This bill, if it gains traction, would effectively ban direct-to-consumer ammo shipments, forcing buyers to trek to brick-and-mortar stores for every round. It’s the same tired playbook we’ve seen before: wrap gun control in the cloak of public welfare while ignoring how these restrictions disproportionately hammer law-abiding citizens who rely on the convenience and competitive pricing of online retailers like Ammo.com or MidwayUSA.
Digging deeper, this isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it’s a calculated squeeze on the ammo market’s most efficient pipeline. Online sales exploded post-2020 amid shortages and panic buying, saving shooters millions in travel time and costs while keeping supply chains humming. Proponents like Mfume and Coleman claim it’s to curb ghost guns and crime, but let’s be real: criminals don’t order bulk 9mm from Palmetto State Armory with a background check; they steal it or hit the black market. This bill echoes failed state-level experiments in California and New York, where ammo background checks have done zilch for crime rates but spiked prices by 20-50% and shuttered small retailers. For the 2A community, the implications are stark: higher costs, reduced access in rural areas, and a precedent for federal overreach that could next target primers or powder.
The silver lining? This reintroduction smells like desperation amid a pro-2A Congress landscape. With Republicans holding the House and public support for gun rights at record highs (hello, post-Bruen wins), it’s prime time for the community to mobilize—flood your reps with calls, support orgs like GOA and NRA-ILA, and stock up while you can. If history’s any guide, these proposals fizzle without massive grassroots pushback, but complacency is the real enemy. Stay vigilant, shooters; our rights aren’t reloaded automatically.
