DOD orders destruction of spent brass.

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Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 5:34 PM
To: rlepage@usa.net
Subject: Important Notice to Scrap Metal Buyers!

Government Surplus Auctions at Government Liquidation

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

Below is a copy of a letter sent to Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, from Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Shooting Sports Association.

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
Montana Shooting Sports Association
author, Gun Laws of Montana
Gun Laws of Montana

What many people don't fully appreciate is that the British were after the community stores of ammunition.
Namely, the powder, flint, and ball.
Not the privately owned firearms.
Later, they confiscated privately owned firearms.

At the end of World War II, we had jillions of dollars worth of trucks, earthmovers, jeeps, cannons and other equipment scattered all across the islands of the Pacific.

A man I knew had survived the European war as a BAR man. Transferred to the Philippines, he was preparing to invade the Jap home islands; "We all knew we were going to die". After the bombs were dropped, he said everyone in his unit dropped to their knees and said prayers of thanksgiving. Later he got down to Manila Bay and saw barges full of equipment, including trucks, being towed out to sea.

To his astonishment and horror, he then observed the barges being sunk just offshore.

Having been raised a good Catholic and having lived through the Depression, he was sickened by the waste. So he went to his officer and complained mightily. The officer explained, "If all this stuff were to be returned to the states and released into the civilian market, it would destroy many manufacturers, because it would satisfy civilian needs for years and years".

My point? Maybe some congress critters have ordered the destruction of that brass in order to satisfy the concerns of civilian manufacturers over tons of military brass flooding the market and killing their business.

That's only a working theory.

P.S. My friend in the Philippines later went to the officer in charge of storing the equipment to be disposed of. He pointed out how totally devastated the Philippine economy was after four years of Jap occupation and looting, and asked the officer if they could simply give some of the equipment to the Filipinos to help rebuild their country.

The officer told him, "I can't do that, but I'll give you the schedule of when the guards make their rounds of the yard where we keep the equipment." Thereupon, my friend made arrangements with the locals, and a bunch of much needed equipment was saved and put to good use for a desperately poor country. In 1961, I saw that many jeeps were still in use as Jeepneys, and our Marston mats had been used as concrete reinforcement for home and other building construction.

The sky isn't falling...........

http://cgi.govliquidation.com/auctio...&convertTo=USD

The same thing I saw in Korea in the 60s. Many busses and trucks were built on deuce and a half chasis, and I can't begin to tell you what was done with flattened 55 gallon drums.

Add Ammo Cans to that list . . according to a Surplus dealer .

Yes, this is stuff we've paid for through taxes and our progeny will paying for it for decades if not a century down the road. The elite that run this country don't give a damn about the average citizen.

That auction lot described above may yet get pulled or since it's already in the pipeline may be allowed to go through.

I went to a gun show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, today and there was very little ammunition available and what was there was expensive. There were quite a few black rifles but I didn't see any AKs. By the time I left around 11 AM there was line waiting to get in. I've never seen that before in this area. Carl

I got the news today that this new policy is to apply to casings larger than .50
Gee, I wonder how many congress critters crawled up the DLA's butt to make them say that.

As for the ammo cans, I really cant see that nor could I see the reason for it. However I did notice one of the bases with ammo cans in the auction had no lids. Several thousand lidless ammo cans - what a waste.

Dan

Just talked to Jeff Bartlett (www.gibrass.com). He says that the policy DOES apply to small arms brass and is effective this coming Thursday.

Contacting my congressmen to see if there is any possibility of this being modified. Would like to know what "problem" this is the solution for!

Unless, of course, WE are the problem in question.

this is from TheShootist.net. Log onto that site for more complete info.
Regards

Think we jest?

Here are copies of two letters sent to Georgia Arms just Thursday evening--effectively cancelling a contract he had to purchase 30,000 pounds of expended military brass in .223, 7.62mm, and .50 caliber:


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

From Georgia Arms website.

Thanks to your voice, DOD has rescinded the order to mutilate all spent cases as of 4:30 pm on 3/17/09. We appreciate the time and effort that you expended, together we all made a difference. We will be posting the email we received from DOD as well as any additional information within the next 12-16 hours. Thanks so much and lets get to work!!! Georgia Arms

WHY ISN"T THIS STINKING MESS ON THE NEWS? EVEN FOX???? WHERE'S THE NRA?? (I sent in a note to the NRA website)

NRA don't care. They are too busy salivating, just waiting for the chance to write the new assault weapons ban like they did the last one, then tell us how they did us SUCH a favor.

Dan

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
http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/DLA_mcunningham.pdf

Looks like some liberal got his tail singed a bit!;)

That's great news. Carl

Outstanding. That would have been the end of high power rifle competition, raised the prices of ammo substantially, and probably put a number of small businesses on the skids.

It's time that everyone on the government payroll realized who they are working for.

I think that in my time working for the USG we knew that. Now, once you get above a certain level, they start thinking they're nobility. And that needs to get changed, right up to the White House and Congress.

In all fairness, I will be calling the MT congressional delegation tomorrow. I wish my state delegation had been players, but as usual they are behind in the OODA loop of life.