DOD orders destruction of spent brass.

[ohiosam]

SurplusNews@govliquidation.com
[
mailto:SurplusNews@govliquidation.com]
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

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[P. Greaney]

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.

[Louis of PA]

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.

[Ramboueille]

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

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

[VET70]

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.

[Lt1]

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

[Carl R]

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

[Dan Wilson]

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

[Bat Guano]

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.

[Louis of PA]

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