House Democrats introduced a bill which seeks to restrict online ammunition purchases as well as track large orders.
The Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D., N.J.), would require people who purchase ammunition online to display a photo ID in-person in order to receive the order. It would also require ammunition sellers to report to the Attorney General's office any time they sell 1,000 rounds or more over a 5 day period to the same buyer.
The bill allows for online sales of ammunition so long as the buyer picks up the order in person. However, since most online sales do not currently involve a face-to-face interaction, the bill would outlaw most online ammunition sales.
"Far too many times, we have seen the shocking images of unspeakable gun violence that could have been prevented," Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D., N.J.), one of the bill’s original cosponsors, told The Hill. "Our bill to limit the online sale of ammunition is a long-overdue common sense reform that I am hopeful will spark Congress to put aside party difference and come together to help prevent such senseless tragedies."
"This common-sense reform would save lives by depriving violent criminals of a means of anonymously amassing ammunition without proper scrutiny," Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., (D., N.J.), another co-sponsor of the bill told the paper.
Due to Republican control of Congress, the bill is unlikely to pass.