TARGET the BULLETS

The Concept

America was once divided between the North and the South, but today seems split between urban and rural. States’ rights was seen as a solution for accommodating different community perspectives at that time. Perhaps, a focus on cities’ rights could accomplish the same today. The “Target the Bullets” initiative aims to reduce gun violence in cities that enact laws to limit possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition to 10 rounds per caliber for self-defense purposes. Residents would be able to purchase unlimited ammunition at shooting ranges for onsite use only. Those with inventories of controlled ammunition would be able to keep them in a storage unit outside the city or turn them into local shooting ranges for credit.

Benefits

The Concept

Restricting ammunition would not infringe on the Second Amendment. This allows Americans to keep their guns, but reduces their ability to commit gun violence
Limiting ammunition that is not necessary for self-defense or hunting would not infringe on the core right of law-abiding citizens to use firearms for legitimate purposes.
In states with open carry laws, police would be empowered to arrest armed demonstrators if they have more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
This limit allows for self-defense, but not school shootings or active shooter attacks.

Statistics

The Concept

The Founder

According to a 2023 report by the Gun Violence Archive, 77.2% of school shootings in the United States involved handguns, and 25.1% involved assault rifles. Of the 50 active shooter incidents identified in the FBI's 2022 report, 61 firearms were used by

shooters—29 handguns, 26 rifles, three shotguns, and three unknown. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 45,222 gun violence incidents in the United States in 2021. Of these incidents, 24,292 involved handguns, 12,838 involved rifles, and 5,408 involved shotguns. This means that handguns were involved in 53.9% of gun violence incidents, rifles were involved in 28.4% of incidents, and shotguns were involved in 12.0% of incidents.

The Founder

The Concept

The Founder

Brian Hayes spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as a Psychological Operations Specialist and served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a defense contractor, Brian taught cultural awareness at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and later advised the 2d Marine Division as a Human Terrain Analyst in Iraq. Today, he works for the U.S. State Department as a Regional Security Officer protecting American diplomats overseas. Brian has a Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Operations Management from Texas A&M University and a Master's Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.

* The views expressed are my own and not necessarily those of the U.S. Government

Creating a Local Law

Initiation

The person who proposes a new law, or bill, is called the "sponsor." The sponsor can be a city council member, the mayor, or a citizen (may require petition). The sponsor must first introduce the bill to the city council.

The city clerk's office can provide a legislative procedure manual with the document requirements for introducing a bill in your city. They may include:

A draft of the proposed bill.
A cover letter explaining the purpose of the proposed bill.
A petition signed by a number or percentage of registered voters in the city to be filed with the city clerk.

The largest cities that do not require a petition for a citizen to introduce a bill are:

San Francisco, California (873,965)
Seattle, Washington (737,015)
Portland, Oregon (652,503)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (429,195)

Ex: In New York City, a citizen wishing to sponsor a bill must collect 35,000 signatures from registered voters. In Los Angeles, 50,000 are needed. They must be collected within 90-180 days of the filing of the petition. Companies that canvas areas charge $2-5 per signature.

Committee consideration

In Committee, members examine the need for the bill and public policy implications, analyze the effectiveness of the proposed legislative solution, and determine its fiscal impact.

Public hearing

Once amended and approved by committee, it is typically subject to a public hearing. This gives citizens an opportunity to learn about the bill and to provide feedback to the city council. The public hearing is usually held at a regular city council meeting.

City council vote

After the public hearing, the city council votes on whether or not to approve the bill. A simple majority vote is usually required for approval. If the city council does not approve the bill, it dies and is not enacted.

Enactment

Once the city council approves the bill, the mayor can sign or veto it. If signed, it is then enacted into law. This means that it becomes legally binding on all citizens of the city. The new law is typically published in the city's official newspaper.

Draft Bill

A BILL

To amend the Code of Ordinances of the City of [City Name] to restrict the possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition to 10 rounds per caliber within city limits.

Be it enacted by the City Council of the City of [City Name] as follows:

Section 1. Short title.

This ordinance may be cited as the "Assault Rifle and Pistol Ammunition Restriction Ordinance."

Section 2. Findings and declaration of policy.

The City Council finds and declares that:

(a) The possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition within city limits poses a significant threat to public safety.

(b) The use of assault rifle and pistol ammunition in mass shootings has resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of innocent people.

(c) The restriction of the possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition will help to reduce the risk of mass shootings and other gun violence.

Section 3. Definitions.

For the purposes of this ordinance, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) "Assault rifle" means any semi-automatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has one or more of the following features:

(i) A folding or telescoping stock;

(ii) A pistol grip;

(iii) A forward grip;

(iv) A grenade launcher;

(v) A barrel shroud; or

(vi) A threaded barrel designed to accept a silencer or other muzzle device.

(b) "Pistol" means any firearm that has a short barrel and is designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand.

Section 4. Prohibition on possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition.

It shall be unlawful for any person to possess, purchase, or transfer more than 10 rounds per caliber of assault rifle or pistol ammunition within city limits.

Section 5. Exceptions.

The prohibition in Section 4 shall not apply to:

(a) Law enforcement officers acting in the course of their official duties;

(b) Military personnel acting in the course of their official duties;

(d) Persons who purchase or transfer ammunition at a designated shooting range for onsite use only.

Section 6. Enforcement.

The provisions of this ordinance shall be enforced by the [City Name] Police Department.

Section 7. Severability.

If any provision of this ordinance is held to be invalid, the remainder of this ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 8. Effective date.

This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication as provided by law.

About Us

Mission Statement

Target the Bullets is a volunteer organization that aims to reduce gun violence in cities that vote for laws to limit possession of assault rifle and pistol ammunition to 10 rounds per caliber for self-defense purposes.

Goals

Spread awareness of ammunition restriction as an effective approach to limiting gun violence
Enact laws at the city level
Empower city police
Respect the Second Amendment
Accommodate different perspectives of urban and rural communities
Save lives

Strategies

Recruit volunteers to share ideas and advocate for ammunition limits in cities
Purchase social media advertising by activist groups such as @momsdemandaction (1.6 million followers), @everytown (1.1 million followers), and @bradyunited (800,000 followers)
Meet with council members and encourage them to sponsor the bill
Collect petition signatures through Change.org and canvassing companies such as Signature Solutions, Signature Management Group, PetitionPro, and Signatures for Change
Fundraise through GoFundMe.com
Use donations for social media advertising, targeted ad campaigns, collecting signatures, advocacy meetings, and sponsoring bills