BREAKING NEWS: Biden Administration Bans Russian Ammunition

Ostensibly as a reprisal for the 2020 poisoning of Russian Dissident Aleksey Navalny, the State Department imposed two new sanctions under the CBW Act.

1. Restrictions on the permanent imports of certain Russian firearms. New and pending permit applications for the permanent importation of firearms and ammunition manufactured or located in Russia will be subject to a policy of denial.
2. Additional Department of Commerce export restrictions on nuclear and missile related goods and technology pursuant to the Export Control Reform Act of 2018.

These latest sanctions are expected to take place on or about September 7, 2021, and will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months. After 12 months, the Executive Branch (the President) can remove the sanctions if Russia meets certain obligations under the CBW Act.

While not a total surprise, this will still have an overall negative effect on the unstable ammunition market. It will affect several brands familiar to our readers, brands like Wolf Ammunition, Tulammo, Barnaul, and Red Army Standard by Century Arms. Even for those that don’t use the Russian ammo, you can expect to feel some more pain at the cash register as the presence of relatively cheap and very reliable ammunition helps keep the price down on other segments of the ammunition industry.

There is still much uncertainty regarding the specifics of the sanctions, Importers are not yet sure if this only applies to new Form 6 applications. As we get clarity regarding this evolving news, we will continue to update our posts. Check back often and expect an in-depth exploration of the topic soon.

Editor's Note: Click here for the latest update to this developing story.