Detroit-Area Lawmaker Wants Mental Health Screening Before Buying Ammo

Anti-gun lawmakers come up with some stupid ideas sometimes. Just look at the proposals being pushed on a given day, you’ll see plenty of them, such as banning guns based on cosmetic features.

Advertisement

However, a lawmaker in Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan has trotted out the dumbest proposal yet.

Wayne County Commissioner Reggie Davis, who represents the 6th district, is announcing a new proposed bill that would limit the sale of ammunition and increase checks for people buying ammunition in Wayne County.

Nicknamed the ‘Bullet Bill,’ Davis said the bill will require a mental health background check on those who purchase ammunition in Wayne County as well as limit the purchase of ammunition. On top of that, ammunition would have to be purchased from a law enforcement agency.

According to Davis, additional county taxes would be imposed on the purchase of ammo with revenue from it going to cover administrative costs, assist victims of gun violence and help with education programs.

Yeah, nothing intrusive about that at all, now is there?

Let’s also not forget the fact that this proposal is utterly useless except as a grandstanding opportunity. I get that Commissioner Davis has lost a family member to violence, so I’m somewhat sympathetic, but that doesn’t excuse this kind of idiotic nonsense that can only exist as a way to advance his career, not as a way to legitimately curb violence.

Advertisement

First, let’s look at what will happen if someone wants to buy ammo, but doesn’t think they’ll pass a mental health check.

Let’s be honest here, they’ll order ammo online, or they’ll leave the county and buy ammo, thus completely bypassing the check. Ammo is far too plentiful in this day and age for anyone to reasonably keep ammunition out of someone’s hands. It might work at a state level, but those who live near the borders will easily be able to sidestep the regulations. At the county level, it’s easy enough for anyone to bypass these checks.

Then, when people do believe they’ll pass a check, they’ll be faced with a pain in the rectum before buying ammo. You know what happens when people have to deal with crap before they can buy a product? They’re more likely to stock up on that item, just so they won’t have to deal with these roadblocks again any time soon.

So now, there will be more ammo out on the streets.

Frankly, I’d like to believe the commission would see these problems from the start and smack this nonsense down. However, it’s Detroit.

Advertisement

The thing is if Detroit wants to curb the violence on its streets, then how about correcting the city’s economy by attracting good-paying jobs. Then, crack down on the criminals you have so you don’t need to worry so much about people buying ammo.

Of course, this is Detroit we’re talking about. If it could do any of that, it already would have.

Since it doesn’t know how, it’s just going to take a big, steaming dump on people’s Second Amendment rights in the misguided name of public safety. In the process, it’ll accomplish nothing.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Sponsored