If you want to stop gun violence, start with bullets
Guns don’t kill people; people don’t kill people; bullets kill people. As the nation debates, again, the best way to curb gun violence, many of the questions focus on the firearms themselves. But an equally important consideration is ammunition. Roughly 10 billion rounds are manufactured in the US each year, with a weight equal to two Titanics. More to the point, it’s enough bullets to pump 32 rounds into every man, woman, and child in America.
From the musket ball to the .45 Colt cartridge to the .223 shells used in the Newtown massacre, the story of ammunition is in many ways a familiar tale of technological progress, as bullets have become cheaper, easier to use, and often more deadly. But this engineering success has become a social and moral crisis. Here’s a data-driven examination of the bullet: its variety, its spread, and the policies that might help curb its lethal consequences.
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How stupid do they get? {{facepalm}}
“Bear Arms” includes the munitions. It doesn’t read “Bear hollow metal rods.”
ProfShadow on February 12, 2013 at 8:58 PM
If you want to stop Democrats’ assault on the Bill of Rights, start with a media takeover from within.
crrr6 on February 12, 2013 at 9:00 PM
Another moron thinking they have the solved the problem of crazy people wanting to do others harm.
ButterflyDragon on February 12, 2013 at 9:00 PM
People used to make their own ammunition, and powder and primers can also be made at home, Joanne. Ban it all you want, it will be overturned anyway. And we can always make our own.
Your stupid is showing.
rightwingyahooo on February 12, 2013 at 9:00 PM
So let me see if I have this right: the tool and the tool user don’t kill, but a important component of that tool can? Methinks brains are sorely lacking here.
nobar on February 12, 2013 at 9:01 PM
No way. Jose.
What part of “Shall not be infringed” do you not understand?
“Bullets” {Rounds to normal, non- – Hoplophobia people} still come under Constitutionally protected Arms.
Just like arbitrarily defined “Assault Weapons” and “military style” guns or any other hair brained gun-grabbing ideas you Proppressives want to come up with.
Why don’t we just ban Criminals?
Galt2009 on February 12, 2013 at 9:04 PM
Why does Hot Air feed all these left wing click bate sites?
Nessuno on February 12, 2013 at 9:06 PM
Your wrote that quicker than me.
I can’t answer the first part of your comment.
Galt2009 on February 12, 2013 at 9:06 PM
and knives, cars, baseball bats. They kill people …not the person using them.
/
CW on February 12, 2013 at 9:07 PM
These Marxist wannabes will never back down and feel they have the upper hand.
Molon Labe!
trs on February 12, 2013 at 9:08 PM
If they’re so bad, why does the government want so many of them?
Galt2009 on February 12, 2013 at 9:08 PM
How about starting with criminals
The Notorious G.O.P on February 12, 2013 at 9:11 PM
“It is a principle that the right to a thing gives a right to the means without which it could not be used, that is to say, that the means follow their end.”
–Thomas Jefferson: Report on Navigation of the Mississippi, 1792. ME 3:180
Without bullets you have no0 Second Amendment rights.
Warner Todd Huston on February 12, 2013 at 9:13 PM
the warsaw ghetto was unavailable for comment
newrouter on February 12, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Hate to say I told everyone so but I told everyone so. It’s ammunition the left is really after to ban.
bgibbs1000 on February 12, 2013 at 9:21 PM
This may be the dumbest sentence I’ve ever read.
midgeorgian on February 12, 2013 at 9:26 PM
Walls have been underutilized for far too long.
tom daschle concerned on February 12, 2013 at 9:30 PM
Hey, you know how they “banned” cigarettes? They just started imposing mind-numbing taxes on them.
Imagine this– a box of bullets costs $20. But now you have to pay a $25.00 Federal Law Enforcement eXperience tax, or FLEX tax, on every new box. Suddenly it costs $45 for a box of 20 shells to do some recreational shooting.
But they’ll let you have your guns….
Nethicus on February 12, 2013 at 9:32 PM
Uggh, too much stupid to deal with in that, but one thing is that at the end, by “gun violence”, they mean the last several US mass shootings. Anecdotes. And they lie when they say that one shooter shot 100 times before reloading. The Aurora shooter’s rifle mag jammed after about 30 shots. Many of the dead and injured were due to the shotgun and handgun he used, NOT because he had a 100 round mag. These people have a very tenuous understanding of cause and effect.
Making ammo more expensive hits minorities disproportionately, and penalizes the sporting shooters whose traditions Obama pretends to revere. The criminals who commit the vast majority of murders and use only 2-3 shots are not at all affected by ammo costs.
Also, if ammo sales go down, then a major source of funding for wildlife conservation decreases.
juliesa on February 12, 2013 at 9:35 PM
Let’s see how she feels when states tax abortions to make it too expensive to get one.
Curmudgeon on February 12, 2013 at 9:35 PM
I made the mistake of reading the article.
What a poorly researched, biased piece.
Bullets, huh? Well, with 6 billion rounds a year produced by the US, and even with a generous 10,000 deaths by bullets a year, we get to 0.000167% of bullets “kill” someone. And that’s just a year’s production, not the quantity that are hanging around in gun safes throughout the US.
ProfShadow on February 12, 2013 at 9:37 PM
The first paragraph was enough to dissuade me from reading any more.
WisCon on February 12, 2013 at 9:41 PM
Careful if you see a bullet sitting on top of a table….be very very careful.
/
CW on February 12, 2013 at 9:49 PM
This insanely idiotic article has inspired me to go fire up the reloading press tonight. Doing my best to add to the 6 billion indiscriminate people killers!
stvnscott on February 12, 2013 at 10:15 PM
From the comments. I love Bob Owens.
jawkneemusic on February 12, 2013 at 10:21 PM
I’m looking to start reloading myself. Any suggestions on where to start looking as far as equipment goes? Want to start with .45 ACP and .223/5.56.
jawkneemusic on February 12, 2013 at 10:23 PM
Doesn’t matter given how stupid they are. Ammo is considered Arms.
jawkneemusic on February 12, 2013 at 10:28 PM
Bullets? Heh. You could substitute many other words and improve your IQ to maybe 30. I first read bullies. Jeez!!!!
trl on February 12, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Of course, that can be said of all gun grabber proposals – they empower the criminals and the government and punish the innocent.
Galt2009 on February 12, 2013 at 10:34 PM
I always thought stopping a bullet was a dumb idea.
TexasDan on February 12, 2013 at 10:38 PM
The installation of idiot is complete in this one. My goodness, goodness gracious. Speechless.
Bmore on February 12, 2013 at 10:39 PM
Fully agree.
jawkneemusic on February 12, 2013 at 10:39 PM
I would start with either the Hornady Lock-n-Load Classic kit or the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit. Both include a solid single-stage press and most of the additional tools you need to get started. If and when you decide to graduate to a progressive press, the included press can still serve niche functions in your operation, and the rest of the kit will support you as completely functional equipment. Personally, I like the Hornady kit slightly more because of the bushing system which allows you to keep all your dies set up and ready for quick changes.
In addition to what you find the kit, you will still need reloading dies for case loading operations and a case tumbler for cleaning brass. There are infinitely more products you can buy to make the process easier and more enjoyable, but they are not necessary.
The problem you will face in getting into reloading right now is shortages in equipment and materials. Just like ammunition, these items are in short supply and are almost impossible to find. Reloading kits, primers, powder, brass, and bullets are being hoarded and scalped like crazy. I have been doing this a long time and have a good stockpile, but those looking to get started are in unfortunate dire straits.
HTH.
stvnscott on February 12, 2013 at 11:18 PM
No, Mr PearlStein is not crazy, any more than Lenin was crazy. He is determined to seize weapons and start the 2nd civil disturbance.
Bulletchaser on February 13, 2013 at 12:37 AM
Awesome. Thanks! Figure I might as well invest in all the equipment now then by the time he hoarding calms I can go out and start looking for the rest of the raw materials.
jawkneemusic on February 13, 2013 at 1:23 AM
WE. ARE. THE 99%
Who won’t be able to afford the tools of self defense.
soundingboard on February 13, 2013 at 2:07 AM
Funny thing, for every one abortion at least one person dies.
jaydee_007 on February 13, 2013 at 3:44 AM
Having sold many “bullets”, you have a lot more to fear from those buying one box of cheap ammo than you do of someone buying a case.
Got so all I needed to know was the caliber, “Got anything cheap?” was the next thing out of their mouth.
Profile, why yes, it was a gun store.
For the record, Joanne, you know as much about “bullets” as O’Bama knows about cooking skeets.
Open The Door on February 13, 2013 at 7:11 AM
Banned substances still make their way into prisons. Prisoners still manage to get murdered inside “secure” prisons. A devious mind never stops … criminals always look for a way.
A loaded gun will not only help to keep violence off my doorstep, it also keeps tyrants at bay.
kregg on February 13, 2013 at 8:08 AM