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Bullet Serialization Threat in Mississippi

Anti-gun legislators in the Mississippi State Senate have proposed legislation, SB 2286, that would mandate bullet serialization -- the process by which each individual round of ammunition is identified and marked with a laser-engraved serial number. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association of the firearms and ammunition industry -- has made clear that serializing ammunition on a mass-production basis is not feasible from a practical standpoint and any legislation mandating such action could rightfully be considered a de facto ban on ammunition.

If passed into law, the legislation would force the closure of the newly opened Winchester Ammunition factory in Oxford, Miss. -- a move which would result in hundreds of Mississippi workers losing their jobs and millions in tax revenue disappearing from the state. The legislation would also force law-abiding citizens and retailers to dispose of any ammunition they currently hold that is not serialized.

"If manufacturers had to comply with bullet serialization, NSSF estimates that it would take almost three weeks to manufacture what is currently made in a single day," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "This massive reduction in ammunition would translate into substantially lower sales and profitability and ultimately force major ammunition manufacturers to abandon the market. In turn, there would be a severe shortage of serialized ammunition and all consumers, including federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, would be faced with substantial price increases. Ammunition will go from costing pennies to several dollars per cartridge. "

The domestic small arms ammunition industry, utilizing modern manufacturing processes and distribution practices, produces at least 8 billion ammunition cartridges a year at already low-profit margins. The three largest domestic manufacturers (who collectively account for the vast majority of the market) produce an estimated 15 million rounds of ammunition in a single day. Ammunition manufacturers could not serialize their product without hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment to build the new factories that would be needed in order to meet the requirements of bullet serialization. At the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars of existing plants and equipment, and decades of manufacturing (cost-saving) efficiencies, would be rendered obsolete.

"Bullet serialization is dangerous and not practical," continued Keane. "As legislation that would mandate bullet serialization not only threatens law-abiding gun-owners but our industry's ability to supply the nation's law enforcement officers and military with high quality ammunition, we encourage all citizens of Mississippi to contact their state senators and urge them to oppose this bill."