[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 96 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RESALE OF ARMOR PIERCING BULLETS TO CIVILIANS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last week the Senate passed the Department 
of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 which included an 
amendment I sponsored to outlaw the resale of military surplus armor 
piercing ammunition, including .50 caliber ammunition, to civilians.
  This amendment requires the Department of Defense to ensure that 
military surplus armor-piercing ammunition is not sold or transferred 
to anyone except foreign militaries or law enforcement or other 
government agencies. Armor piercing ammunition is extremely lethal and 
is powerful enough to pierce an armored limousine or helicopter. It has 
no legitimate civilian use.
  Last year, Congress approved legislation which instituted a one-year 
restriction on the civilian sale of military surplus armor piercing 
ammunition; the amendment approved by the Senate last week would put 
that temporary restriction into permanent law. Before the one-year 
restriction was enacted, under the Conventional Demilitarization 
Program, a contractor working with the Department of Defense was paid 
$1 per ton to take possession of its excess armor-piercing ammunition, 
which it was free to refurbish and resell to the general public.
  The Department of Defense should not be a party to making this 
extraordinarily destructive ammunition available to the general public. 
Once available on the market, this powerful ammunition is subject to 
virtually no restriction, making it easier for someone to purchase 
armor piercing ammunition capable of piercing an armored car, than it 
is to buy a handgun. These loose restrictions make armor piercing 
ammunition highly popular among terrorists, drug traffickers and 
violent criminals.
  An investigation by the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that 
armor piercing .50 caliber ammunition is ``among the most destructive 
and powerful ammunition available in the United States'' and the 
``widespread availability'' of the bullets ``poses a threat to public 
safety.'' In the year ending in March, 1999, more than 113,000 rounds 
of military surplus armor piercing .50 caliber ammunition were sold in 
the United States.
  The amendment to prohibit the resale of military surplus armor 
piercing ammunition is a small but important step in keeping our 
streets safe.

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