Stopping the import of Russian ammo is just pretending to do something noble.
“…restrictions on imports of firearms and ammunition are less likely to hurt well-connected Russian manufacturers, who will almost certainly find buyers elsewhere, than they are to hurt civilian consumers of those goods. Amid social fracture and loss of faith in institutions, American firearms sales are booming, the ranks of gun owners swelling, and ammunition manufacturers are struggling to meet demand. Cutting off the largest single source of imported ammunition to the United States can only reduce supply and drive ammunition prices higher.”
If you’re ideologically committed to a course of action, like imposing restrictive policies, it’s frustrating when the people you want to hurt refuse to cooperate. It’s even more aggravating when some of the folks on your side lose faith and start doing the things you don’t like. If you’re clever and unwilling to compromise, you might then find a backdoor way to impose your will and, incidentally, prod your allies into line. By all appearance, that’s what we’re seeing with the Biden administration’s ban on imports of ammunition from Russia, an important source for America’s tight ammo market.
“New 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,” the U.S. State Department announced last week. The start date is set for September 7, 2021, and sanctions are anticipated to be in place for a minimum of 12 months.
