Georgia Arms is the 5th largest retailer of .223 Ammo in America.  (they sell 9 mm, .45, etc ammo)

They normally buy spent brass from the US Dept of Defense - 'one time used' shell casings by our Military - from training on Military bases, etc. They buy the brass and then re-load for resale to Law Enforcement,Gun Shops, Gun Clubs, Wal-Mart, and etc.

They normally buy 30,000 lbs of spent brass at a time.

This week the DOD wrote a letter to the owner of Georgia Arms and said that from now on the DOD will be destroying the brass - shredding it. It is no longer available to the Ammo makers - unless they just buy it in a scrap shredded condition (which they have No use for). The shredded brass is NOW going to be sold by the DOD to China as scrap metal....after the DoD pays for it to be shredded. The DOD is selling the brass to China for less money than Ammo manufacturers have been paying...plus the DOD has to pay to have the brass shredded and do all the accounting paperwork. That sure helps the US economy now, doesn't it? Sell cheaper to China - and do not sell shells at all to a proven US business. Any agenda working here???? Obama going after our ammunition!!!!!

The Georgia Arms owner even related a story that one of his competitors had already purchased a load of brass last week - and the DOD contacted him this week and said they were sending someone over to make sure it was destroyed. Shell Casings he had already bought! THE BRASS HAS NO VALUE TO THE AMMO MAKER IF IT IS DESTROYE D/SHREDDED/MELTED. THE AMMO MANUFACTURER ONLY USES THE EMPTY BRASS SHELLS TO RELOAD DIFFERENT CALIBERS -  MAINLY .223 BULLETS. Georgia Arms owner says that he will have to lay off  at least Half of his 60 workers, within 2 - 3 months if the DOD no longer sells their spent brass to him. He has 2 - 3 months inventory of shells to use. By summer - he's out. If he has to buy new manufactured brass shells, then the cost of ammunitioin to the buyer will double and triple...plus
Obama wants to add a 500% tax on each shell.

You can read the info and see the DOD letter to Georgia Arms here:
https://webmail.knology.net/mail/parse.php?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theshootist.net%2F2009%2F03%2Fdod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html - http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html