Typical of 'politics' mixing into common sense and then diluting it like urine in a swimming pool. At some point the common sense is lost.
Well so it is with this tid bit. The Department of Defense, apparently under order, is now destroying fired military brass BEFORE it sells the brass on the scrap market. It actually expends money to destroy something so that it can then sell it as scrap. Hmm? Well here is the story. The military has gun ranges, the soldiers shoot guns, the guns eject spent shell cases. Those empty shell cases can be sold for $2.00 per pound to the 'reloading' industry. Or, the same brass cases, after the government spends money to destroy them, can sell for $0.40 per pound. Yup, the choice is either 2-DOLLARS per pound or 40-CENTS per pound. Now which choice do you think politicians would choose? Which choice makes sense?
Evidence:
Government Destroys Once Fired Brass Cases
Well so it is with this tid bit. The Department of Defense, apparently under order, is now destroying fired military brass BEFORE it sells the brass on the scrap market. It actually expends money to destroy something so that it can then sell it as scrap. Hmm? Well here is the story. The military has gun ranges, the soldiers shoot guns, the guns eject spent shell cases. Those empty shell cases can be sold for $2.00 per pound to the 'reloading' industry. Or, the same brass cases, after the government spends money to destroy them, can sell for $0.40 per pound. Yup, the choice is either 2-DOLLARS per pound or 40-CENTS per pound. Now which choice do you think politicians would choose? Which choice makes sense?
Evidence:
Government Destroys Once Fired Brass Cases
This a selection of email content - presented ''as is''.
From: KTO
To: undisclosed-recipients
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 2:31 PM
Subject: [Fwd: More ammo problems - Action Needed]
Dear MSSA Friends,
Another serious problem has just been created to add to the critical ammo shortage in the U.S. Read my letter to Senator Max Baucus about this below. An agency of the Department of Defense has just directed that all military fired brass must be destroyed.
I highly recommend that you send emails to U.S. Senators Baucus and Tester, and to Montana's lone Congressman Rehberg, asking them to get immediately onto fixing this.
FYI, Baucus is Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. He could simply call the Pentagon and tell them that if they don't reverse this DLA directive that the Pentagon will suffer a mysterious budget cut of several billion dollars. Also, Baucus's former Chief of Staff, Jim Messina, is now Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House. If Max called Jim and asked, Jim could fix this problem with a phone call too.
I recommend you communicate with the Baucus, Tester and Rehberg staffers who are tasked to firearms issues. They are:
Baucus - "Heather O'Loughlin" heather_o'loughlin@baucus.senate.gov
Tester - "Lillstrom, Alpha" Alpha_Lillstrom@tester.senate.gov
Rehberg - "Abra Belke" abra.belke@mail.house.gov
Tell them we simply don't accept the military destroying perfectly good brass that could be sold into the civilian market for private and commercial reloading.
Gary
========================
Max,
Greetings from Missoula.
You called me on October 24th, 2008, to ask me to let you know if there is ever anything MSSA needs you to do for us and for Montana gun owners.
Thank you. This is exactly such a case.
In the email below from the Defense Logistics Agency you will see that DLA has effectively ordered the immediate non-sale and destruction of all once-fired military brass.
Max, this is a HUGE problem.
Why is this a problem? The RKBA is only as good as the ammunition supply for the firearms we own. The shelves of the Nation's sporting goods stores are essentially bare of ammunition. The entire ammunition market in the U.S. is highly stressed.
For example, I have six classes scheduled for April to teach Montana citizens gun safety and self defense with firearms. Students must bring 100 rounds of ammunition to these classes. I thought to check this week about availability of ammunition for my students for these April classes - the most common ammunition in .38 special and 9mm. Of four primary sporting goods stores in Missoula, three had NONE - at all! One store has a limited supply that it doesn't expect to last long.
Against this background of ammunition shortage, about the only ammunition that continues to be somewhat available is that from second tier manufacturers who are remanufacturing ammunition from once-fired military cartridge brass. As of yesterday, that supply came to an end because of the DLA administrative decision to destroy ("demil") all fired military brass.
Max, I have a lot more information about the national ammunition shortage, too much to put in one email. It is both a supply and demand problem. Without that lengthy detail, take my word for it that U.S. gun owners are very at-risk for their effective RKBA because of existing ammunition shortages. This administrative decision by DLA places a log on the back of a camel already sagging in the middle.
We sincerely hope that you can do something to turn DLA around, and reauthorize the flow of once-fired, undestroyed military brass from the military to civilians and civilian entities.
One final thought. The military can sell reloadable brass for $2.00 per pound. Brass that has been destroyed for reloading purposes and value sells for about 35 cents per pound. So the DLA is expecting taxpayers to pay DoD extra to make reloadable brass unavailable to civilian gun owners.
Please keep us informed about what can be done and is being done to fix this serious problem.
Sincerely yours,
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com
-----Original Message-----
From:
SurplusNews@govliquidation.com
SurplusNews@govliquidation.com
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 5:34 PM
To: rlepage@usa.net
Subject: Important Notice to Scrap Metal Buyers!
http://www.govliquidation.com
Dear Valued Customer:
Please take a moment to note important changes set forth by the Defense Logistics Agency:
Recently it has been determined that fired munitions of all calibers, shapes and sizes have been designated to be Demil code B. As a result and in conjunction with DLA's current Demil code B policy, this notice will serve as official notification which requires Scrap Venture (SV) to implement mutilation as a condition of sale for all sales of fired munitions effective immediately. This notice also requires SV to immediately cease delivery of any fired munitions that have been recently sold or on active term contracts, unless the material has been mutilated prior to sale or SV personnel can attest to the mutilation after delivery. A certificate of destruction is required in either case.
Thank you,
DOD Surplus
15051 N Kierland Blvd # 300
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
To: undisclosed-recipients
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 2:31 PM
Subject: [Fwd: More ammo problems - Action Needed]
Dear MSSA Friends,
Another serious problem has just been created to add to the critical ammo shortage in the U.S. Read my letter to Senator Max Baucus about this below. An agency of the Department of Defense has just directed that all military fired brass must be destroyed.
I highly recommend that you send emails to U.S. Senators Baucus and Tester, and to Montana's lone Congressman Rehberg, asking them to get immediately onto fixing this.
FYI, Baucus is Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. He could simply call the Pentagon and tell them that if they don't reverse this DLA directive that the Pentagon will suffer a mysterious budget cut of several billion dollars. Also, Baucus's former Chief of Staff, Jim Messina, is now Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House. If Max called Jim and asked, Jim could fix this problem with a phone call too.
I recommend you communicate with the Baucus, Tester and Rehberg staffers who are tasked to firearms issues. They are:
Baucus - "Heather O'Loughlin" heather_o'loughlin@baucus.senate.gov
Tester - "Lillstrom, Alpha" Alpha_Lillstrom@tester.senate.gov
Rehberg - "Abra Belke" abra.belke@mail.house.gov
Tell them we simply don't accept the military destroying perfectly good brass that could be sold into the civilian market for private and commercial reloading.
Gary
========================
Max,
Greetings from Missoula.
You called me on October 24th, 2008, to ask me to let you know if there is ever anything MSSA needs you to do for us and for Montana gun owners.
Thank you. This is exactly such a case.
In the email below from the Defense Logistics Agency you will see that DLA has effectively ordered the immediate non-sale and destruction of all once-fired military brass.
Max, this is a HUGE problem.
Why is this a problem? The RKBA is only as good as the ammunition supply for the firearms we own. The shelves of the Nation's sporting goods stores are essentially bare of ammunition. The entire ammunition market in the U.S. is highly stressed.
For example, I have six classes scheduled for April to teach Montana citizens gun safety and self defense with firearms. Students must bring 100 rounds of ammunition to these classes. I thought to check this week about availability of ammunition for my students for these April classes - the most common ammunition in .38 special and 9mm. Of four primary sporting goods stores in Missoula, three had NONE - at all! One store has a limited supply that it doesn't expect to last long.
Against this background of ammunition shortage, about the only ammunition that continues to be somewhat available is that from second tier manufacturers who are remanufacturing ammunition from once-fired military cartridge brass. As of yesterday, that supply came to an end because of the DLA administrative decision to destroy ("demil") all fired military brass.
Max, I have a lot more information about the national ammunition shortage, too much to put in one email. It is both a supply and demand problem. Without that lengthy detail, take my word for it that U.S. gun owners are very at-risk for their effective RKBA because of existing ammunition shortages. This administrative decision by DLA places a log on the back of a camel already sagging in the middle.
We sincerely hope that you can do something to turn DLA around, and reauthorize the flow of once-fired, undestroyed military brass from the military to civilians and civilian entities.
One final thought. The military can sell reloadable brass for $2.00 per pound. Brass that has been destroyed for reloading purposes and value sells for about 35 cents per pound. So the DLA is expecting taxpayers to pay DoD extra to make reloadable brass unavailable to civilian gun owners.
Please keep us informed about what can be done and is being done to fix this serious problem.
Sincerely yours,
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com
-----Original Message-----
From:
SurplusNews@govliquidation.com
SurplusNews@govliquidation.com
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 5:34 PM
To: rlepage@usa.net
Subject: Important Notice to Scrap Metal Buyers!
http://www.govliquidation.com
Dear Valued Customer:
Please take a moment to note important changes set forth by the Defense Logistics Agency:
Recently it has been determined that fired munitions of all calibers, shapes and sizes have been designated to be Demil code B. As a result and in conjunction with DLA's current Demil code B policy, this notice will serve as official notification which requires Scrap Venture (SV) to implement mutilation as a condition of sale for all sales of fired munitions effective immediately. This notice also requires SV to immediately cease delivery of any fired munitions that have been recently sold or on active term contracts, unless the material has been mutilated prior to sale or SV personnel can attest to the mutilation after delivery. A certificate of destruction is required in either case.
Thank you,
DOD Surplus
15051 N Kierland Blvd # 300
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
