Biden Bans Russian Ammo

 

Wolf Performance Ammunition is
One of Many Russian Ammo Manufacturers
Affected by the ban

What Does a Ban on Russian Ammo Mean?

In a stroke of the pen, Joe Biden has effectively banned the import of all ammunition manufactured in Russia, citing the alleged use of nerve agents by the superpower. This move hasn't taken effect yet, but this unilateral move by Biden's state department belies a deep hostility towards gun owners, especially disadvantaged gun owners, or, dare I say it, poor people. 

This may seem like a leap in logic, so let's break it down a little bit: 

When you hear "Russian", a barrage of stereotypes spring to mind: Bears, Beards, Big guys named Ivan. This author is ethnically Russian, and while those stereotypes are largely accurate, Russian ammo is appealing for more than those reasons.

Firstly, Russian ammo is cheap. The Eastern Bloc has a much smaller civilian and military arms market than the US, while still having leftover infrastructure from World War 2. The solution to this is to significantly outcompete most US manufacturers on price-per-round, effectively providing extremely affordable mid-grade ammunition to American gun owners. For this reason, it's wildly popular, especially in an ammo shortage as severe as presently. 

Russia also has manufacturing capacity for many older—but still popular—calibers of ammunition that may not be available domestically. For example, 7.62x25, the common Tokarev round, is primarily manufactured by Tula, a Russian company. Tula also makes the vast majority of 7.62 variants, including 7.62x39 and 7.62x54r, both commonly used for hunting. They are also responsible for a glut of cheap 9MM Parabellum, the most common handgun caliber

So we arrive at the sanctions; let’s begin with the actual mechanism of this ban. Importing firearms or ammunition from other countries requires an import license for the country and product in question. These are issued by the State Department, which falls under the executive branch of Government. The order in question directs the State Department to categorically deny all import permits for Russian arms and ammunition. 

So why is a Russian Ammo Ban bad?

Now that we’ve covered the background details, I'd like you to understand why it's an underhanded move. 

Democrats don't like guns, as a general rule. More accurately, the Democratic establishment is against civilian gun ownership, thanks in large part to people like Mike Bloomberg funding the campaigns of anti-gun candidates. Time and again, the ignorance of the American people has been exploited, through terms like "Common Sense Gun Laws", or "Assault Weapon Bans", when these terms often have no correlation with the legislation they stand for. 

I know this is pretty typical pro-gun talk, but before I lose the left, I'd like to bring it back to the center. Legislation is the best thing we can hope for. It's easy to see, easy to fight in court, and relatively easy to understand. Legislation is inherently honest, it introduces itself, shakes your hand, and tells you what it wants to do to your mother. 

But moves like this, a shadowy directive through an executive agency, are much more sinister and not the direction a democracy should take. No matter your opinion on the underlying issue—which should be a simple sanction, not a punishment for poor Americans—we should be able to agree that any restrictions on the freedoms of Americans should be put through the legislative process. 

It's true that this isn't an explicit hindrance to gun owners, which is only worse. This is a de facto ban on affordable ammo, driving prices out of the budget of Messrs. Joe and Tom, and more to the point, Messrs. Otis, José, and 芳. Ammunition is a critical component of the right to keep and bear arms, and the market suffers from enough instability as it stands. Artificial manipulation by Uncle Sam is historically not a good sign. 

I'm knocking on wood as I write this, but I'd rather have an explicit bill brought before the Senate, stating that economically disadvantaged people do not have the right to self-defense, or the right to keep and bear arms, period. Dancing around the subject, driving the cheap ammo out of the marketplace, it's all so tiresome. Get to the point, and say what you mean, Joe.