Blumenthal introduces new legislation on gun ammunition

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require background checks for buying gun ammunition.

It's currently illegal to sell ammunition to fugitives, felons and people suffering from mental disorders. However, while background checks are required for selling firearms, they are not required for selling ammunition. Blumenthal's legislation would require background checks for selling ammunition as well.

"Ammunition sales should be subject to the same legal requirements as firearm sales — instant background checks using the FBI’s national database," Blumenthal said in a statement. "There is no rational reason why a person can walk into a store, fill their shopping cart with hundreds of rounds of ammo, pay up, and walk out without so much as giving their name."

The legislation also makes it mandatory for sellers to keep records on selling ammunition.

In an interview with The Hill, Blumenthal said the idea for the bill came from discussing with law enforcement personnel ways to deter gun violence. Blumenthal said authorities should be notified when somebody buys a large amount of ammunition.

"We should know," Blumenthal said. "Somebody who buys that much ammunition is maybe someone whom we should give some attention."

The legislation, the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2013, comes as Vice President Biden meets with a number of gun ownership groups and gun safety organizations to discuss ways to prevent shooting massacres. Biden is leading a task force that will send recommendations to President Obama on reducing gun violence at the end of the month.

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