August 11, 2024 - WASHINGTON D.C. – Last week, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and 
Accountability, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, and Rep. Andy Kim introduced the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act of 2024 to prohibit Department of Defense (DoD) owned manufacturing plants and contractors from selling military-grade assault weapons and ammunition to civilians. The companion bill is being led in the Senate by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Dick Durbin.
“Today, we are taking concrete steps to hold the Department of Defense and military contractors accountable for their role in fueling America’s gun violence epidemic. By enacting common-sense purchasing standards for the Department, military contractors, and their commercial purchasers, we would curb the use of military-grade ammunition and help keep weapons of war out of reach of criminals and other dangerous individuals. As the single largest buyer of guns and ammunition, the Department of Defense has a responsibility to reduce the flow of deadly firearms into our streets, enhance transparency, and incentivize the gun industry to adopt better safety practices. I am proud to stand alongside Representative Andy Kim, Representative Robert Garcia, and Senator Elizabeth Warren to protect public safety and the right to live free from the endless gun violence and mass shootings that are tragically commonplace in America,” said Ranking Member Raskin.
“There should never be a government label on ammunition used in a deadly mass shooting. That’s why the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act will prevent military-grade ammunition by Department of Defense manufacturing plants from hitting our streets,” said Ranking Member Garcia. “I am proud to have launched an investigation into the Lake City Ammunition Plant, which highlighted a gaping problem in our government’s manufacturing of weapons and its effect on the number of mass shootings that occur in our country every day. We have a serious gun epidemic in the United States, and we must stop gun violence before it starts.”
“Military-grade weapons have no place on our streets and in our communities,” said Congressman Kim. “This bill comes out of conversations I’ve had with families across my district who are worried about these kinds of guns getting into the wrong hands. I’ve introduced this bill because our families deserve security and peace of mind, and this bill would help keep them safer.”
“Our tax dollars should not be subsidizing gun violence in America,” said Senator Warren. “My bill will ensure defense contractors are not selling weapons and bullets of war to potential mass shooters, and help keep our communities safe.”
“Weapons of war should not be made readily available to the public. But under current law, defense contractors can sell ammunition and assault weapons produced by DoD manufacturing plants to the general public. We cannot allow defense contractors to continue to profit from the gun violence public health crisis in this country,” said Senator Durbin. “I’m joining my colleagues to introduce the Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act and ensure that DoD-manufactured products stay off the streets.”
In addition to preventing DoD manufacturers and contractors from selling military-grade assault weapons and ammunition directly to civilians, this bill also requires government-owned plants and military contractors to only sell non-military firearms and ammunition to commercial buyers that obtain a federal firearms license, maintain a low number of crime gun traces, prevent bulk stockpiling of ammunition, and comply with a code of conduct (which includes requirements focused on background checks, adequate staff training, record maintenance, screening of customers, as well as maintaining a strong security system and reporting ATF inspections).
It also enhances oversight by requiring government-owned plants to report to Congress the scale of their commercial sales and operational plans for preventing firearms from funneling into the underground market. The bill also requires DoD to report the types of firearms sold by military contractors and the amount of revenue those sellers receive from the DoD annually.
The bill is endorsed by Brady, Everytown, Giffords, Guns Down America, and March for Our Lives.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
Congressman Kim is the Ranking Member on the Military Personnel Subcommittee, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. More information about Congressman Kim’s accessibility, his work serving New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, and information on newsletters and his monthly town halls can be found on his website by clicking here.
Source: Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Democrats
