WASHINGTON – Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren plans to introduce legislation Thursday aimed at halting sales of military-grade ammunition from a U.S. Army-owned plant to civilians, citing links to Mexican drug cartels and over a dozen American mass shootings.
The Stop Militarizing Our Streets Act, co-sponsored by Senator Andy Kim and Representatives Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, targets the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, the world’s largest producer of rifle ammunition for U.S. forces, built during World War II and operated by Olin Winchester.
Under a current Army deal with Winchester, excess ammo not bought by the military enters the civilian market. Warren highlighted .50-caliber cartridges seized by Mexican authorities from cartels that traced back to Lake City, arguing tax dollars should not fuel violence.
The bill would bar Pentagon contractors from selling military-grade assault weapons and ammunition to civilians. It mandates sales only to commercial dealers enforcing safety measures like customer screening and low rates of guns later tied to crimes.
“Americans’ tax dollars should not be used to fuel gun violence,” Warren stated. “Congress must step in to keep Americans safe, and that means stopping the U.S. military and giant defense contractors from selling weapons of war to cartels, criminal groups, and mass shooters.”
A 2023 New York Times probe linked Lake City-produced AR-15 ammunition to at least 12 mass shootings since 2012, including Aurora, San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Parkland, Buffalo, and Uvalde. Neither Olin nor Winchester responded to comment requests.