The Russian Ammo Ban Has Nothing to Do with Russian Relations
Just when you thought it was safe to buy ammo again — drum roll — we get a new Russian Ammo Ban!
If you are an American and a gun owner, by now, you have no doubt heard about the ban on importing Russian-made ammunition — AK owners, this article is for you. Actually, even if you don’t own an AK but cherish your freedoms, this article is for you.
Our “dear” and “wise” leader, in his “infinite wisdom,” has seen fit to ban some of the most popular s
urplus ammunition in America by refusing to allow its importation. The explanation for this ban is that it aims at coercing global compliance from Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.
But the question is, is this meant to hurt Putin or further chastise American gun owners for their staunch resistance to Biden’s gun control agenda and anti-gun appointees?
The U.S. government’s new policy took effect Sept. 7, 2021, and will remain in effect no less than 12 mo and is to be renewed or re-evaluated at that time. The official stance of the Biden Administration is that this ban is a response to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Except, Navalny does not agree with the Biden Administration on sanctions:
“There’s no need to apply sanctions on Russia,” Navalny told The New York Times. “For now, all sanctions were tailored to avoid almost all significant participants in Putin’s gangster gang. Do you want evidence? Name one real evildoer who suffered. The airplanes, the yachts, the billions in Western banks — everything is in its place,” he added. Navalny recommends directly targeting Putin’s allies.”
So, let me pose a question: If this sanction does not hurt Putin, his allies, or Russia in general, who does it hurt?
The answer: The American gun owner.
The short history of the Biden regime has been a laundry list of attempted gun control, gun bans, and firearm confiscations targeted at hollowing out the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and returning to a policy aimed at mimicking the authoritarian mandates outlined in the U.N. Small Arms Treaty.
While Biden says, “Putin is an authoritarian that targets his political opposition.” However, isn’t Biden, who has declared American gun owners, his political opposition, and anyone that questions the party in power as “domestic terrorists” throwing stones while living in a glass house?
It seems Putin and Biden have more in common than they thought.
After analyzing the State Department’s reasoning for the ban, Gun Owners of America found more backdoor gun control. Alongside others, GOA released a statement to the State Department:
“Gun Owners of America is aware of the Biden State Department’s Notice that “[n]ew and pending permit applications for the permanent importation of firearms and ammunition manufactured or located in Russia will be subject to a policy of denial.”
“We recognize the devastating implications these sanctions would have on individual gun owners amidst a national ammunition shortage. We are currently exploring administrative, congressional, and legal avenues to respond to these new sanctions.”
“Once again, the Biden Administration’s actions are misplaced. Ending imports by licensed importers will not stop drug dealers, murderers and other assorted street criminals. It will, however, harm legitimate U.S. businesses while driving up the cost of other ammunition due to more buyers chasing a smaller supply. It is clear to us that the intention is not to harm Russia but rather to hinder the acquisition of firearms and ammunition by American citizens.”
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Industrious Capitalists have a Unique Opportunity to Seize a Vital Market Opening
While this sanction will take a long time for the American ammunition market to recover from, overall, it is my opinion that it will be a long-term positive opportunity for North American ammo makers — a handful of men and women with true grit could make good on this new turn of events.
As any good capitalist will tell you, a void in the market is just an opportunity.
I, for one, hope that American and boutique ammunition manufacturers in the U.S. are getting ready to carpe diam. Seizing this opportunity would create a booming American 7.62×39 market, alongside many other popular Russian-designated calibers such as 9X18 Makarov and 7.62X54r.
As we have seen with Palmetto State Armory and other firearms manufacturers, the U.S.-made AK market has become a smorgasbord of top-of-the-line Kalashnikov (AKM) variants. Complete with hammer-forged parts and chrome-lined barrels <Insert drooling noises here>.
Personally, nothing could please me more than if American ammunition manufacturers created a domestic surplus of popular Russian and Eastern Bloc calibers. Overall, it would also make this ammo cheaper in the long run.
It is always a win when America expands and restores its manufacturing base — creating a domestic industry not beholden to foreign powers.
The unintended consequence of stifling administrative edicts and one-size-fits-all mandates is that the market will always fill the gap.
If the demand is there, ambitious and industrious people will always supply the need, and that used to be the core of the American Dream. That, as long as you were willing to take the risk and do the work, you too could succeed.
But the current administration seems hell-bent on destroying American culture and ethics rather than preserving the freedoms we have enjoyed for almost three centuries.
Silver Lining
There is good news, though; that is, that we may not feel the effects of this ban for some time.
The wording of this import ban says that it will last for 12 months at a minimum and must be re-evaluated, removed or re-instated at that time.
But, many already approved importation licenses, going out as far as 12-24 months in advance, remain valid.
That means, though they are denying any new applications from Russian ammo importers, there are still tons of active and valid import licenses. So, we may not notice or only see a slight decrease in the supply of Russian ammo resulting from this ban, as well, we may only see a slight price increase.
But, this hypothesis only bears out if the profit motive or a panic run on ammo because of perceived scarcity doesn’t take hold.
Some ammunition dealers in America have also been known to gouge prices when shortages or perceived shortages happen.
Remember the .22lr shortage of 2008? Or, even more recently, the COVID panic buy of early 2020? Prices went sky high, and the supply of all popular calibers seemed to drop to non-existent. (We were just recovering from this when Biden hit us with this Russian Ammo Ban)
But, I don’t expect things to get as bad as 2008 or 2020, ammo prices will likely go up, and particular ammo may become a bit harder to find, but hopefully, it will be a far cry from what we had expected.
It seems that Russian-made ammo will still be sticking around for a while.
So, there is a silver lining to this terrible cloud that the Biden Administration has cast over this Republic.
And, as the saying goes, it is always darkest before dawn.
But, the dawn will never come for our right to bear arms if folks do not get involved and make their voices heard.
Every day we speak with our dollars via the places we shop. We make our thoughts known to the people around us via the information we share with others. We have more avenues to make ourselves heard than at any other time in history.
Next Step: Support Your State No-Compromise Gun Advocacy Organization
So, make sure to share this article, and encourage your friends and neighbors to support Wisconsin Gun Owners, Inc.—Wisconsin’s Only No-Compromise Firearm Advocacy Organization.
Simply visit wisconsingunowners.org to learn more.
If you like the information and results you get from WGO, help us keep coming to you by buying a membership as a gift or encouraging friends and family to join the fight for our 2A Rights in Wisconsin.
WGO is growing by leaps and bounds, and we want you to be onboard.
NEXT STEP:
Join Wisconsin Gun Owners – Wisconsin’s Only No-Compromise Gun Rights Organization
WGO works for grassroots gun owners, not politicians. While many gun lobbies fight for “reasonable gun control,” WGO sets a higher standard: We oppose all gun control — regardless of the political party — and work tirelessly to restore the Second Amendment. WGO has angered many politicians who would like people to believe that they support gun rights — even when they vote against them. Click here
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