Congressman Robert Garcia Calls On Secretary Of The Army For Transparency On Government’s Role In Manufacturing Commercial Ammunition Used In Some Of The Deadliest Mass Shootings

Washington, D.C. – On Friday, Congressman Robert Garcia wrote an oversight letter to the Secretary of the Army questioning the Department’s role in the manufacturing of commercial ammunition that has been used in some of the United States’s deadliest mass shootings.

“It is deeply concerning to learn of the Army’s role in the manufacturing of commercial ammunition that has been used in some of our nation’s deadliest mass shootings. We are demanding oversight because Americans have the right to know where their tax dollars are going,” said Congressman Garcia.

Recent reporting by the New York Times and Bloomberg has indicated that ammunition produced at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant has circulated widely in the civilian marketplace. While these sales are lawful, reports indicate that ammunition produced at the plant have played a role in major crimes and significant mass shootings around the country. The letter asks a series of oversight questions and requests documents and information regarding the Department’s contracts and oversight of the Lake City Plant with answers requested by December 17th.

Garcia is the Ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs.

Earlier this month Congressman Garcia, alongside Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL-25), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the “Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight (AMMO) Act,” which would restrict bulk sales of ammunition, would require businesses who sell ammunition to obtain the same federal license as gun dealers, and would require businesses to conduct a background check on buyers. 

Additionally, this bill would also apply the same prohibition on straw purchases for ammunition that currently exists for firearms, restricting individuals from purchasing ammunition to then sell illegally to others and requiring data sharing on ammunition sales. Currently, there is virtually no regulation governing the sales of ammunition. 

Congressman Garcia is a staunch believer in common sense gun violence prevention. As former Mayor of Long Beach, he spent his time in office publicly supporting gun reform at the state and local level. In Congress, Congressman Garcia has cosponsored legislation such as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023 and theAssault Weapons Ban of 2023.

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