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Group tries to profit off gun control legislationAmmo Accountability group has patents on technology used to enforce legislation they sponsor but their scheme isn't getting tractionA visit to the website Ammunition Accountability.org -- they also run a mirror .com site -- would lead you to believe that they were a grassroots conglomeration of concerned citizens and civic leaders with an unimpressive, low-tech website.That couldn’t be further from the truth. The Ammunition Accountability Act and corresponding website are run by a company that developed the technology necessary to enforce the same legislation they lobby for. In other words, the founders of the Ammunition Accountability Act are pushing legislation which will have a direct and substantial financial benefit to them. The legislation calls for each individual piece of ammunition produced to be etched or stamped with a unique serial number. This patented technology was developed by Russ Ford and his business partners Steve Mace and John Knickerbocker of Seattle, Washington. Ford and his associates were unable to convince any ammunition manufacturers to use their technology, so they hired a lobbyist to push for state-level ammo tagging legislation. Ostensibly Ford and company are billing this legislation as a way to stop violent crime by tracking handgun and “assault weapon” ammunition. However, the sample text of their legislation -- provided on their website -- would outlaw the ownership of all non-tagged ammo of any caliber. Additionally, the legislation would require a state-run database to track each ammunition serial number and information on who purchased each round of ammo. Not only does the legislation directly aim to financial benefit Ford and his business partners, but it will push most ammunition manufactures out of business, and make home reloading ammunition illegal. Their legislation has been introduced in 18 states in 2008. However, none of introduced pieces of legislation have gotten beyond committee hearings in any state. They have all died, most killed in their first committee of reference. Each of the introduced bills has died on their respective calendars when each state legislative session adjourned sine die. In Colorado, this legislation has never even been introduced, though for the last two years there has been a group urging legislators to carry this legislation. Our office has been flooded with daily e-mails about this issue, many of them -- wrongly -- asserting that the legislation has already passed. It's simply not true. Ammunition Accountability is little more than a couple of anti-gunners trying to cash in on hoplophobia. And thankfully, they haven't been getting anywhere with their zany idea. |
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