How much is that box of bullets, serial numbers 121,890,283,902,890-121,890,283,902,940?

From the Empire State:

Used to be whenever a downstate Assembly Democrat wrote legislation proposing a tax and/or severe restriction on the manufacture and sale of ammunition, it caused a ripple among the hunters and gun owners, but that quickly subsided. Everyone knew that radical measures involving ammunition and firearms were largely penned for effect in the Metropolitan area and that the Senate wasn't about to allow companion bills out of committee.

"Used to be" is the operative phrase here. New York's whole political and legislative landscape changed earlier this month and now the liberal and radically anti-gun, anti-hunting, etc. fervor that once thrived only in the Assembly now flows freely in those seats across the aisle.

That's why the fact that New York has bought into a national crusade known as the Ammunition Accountability Act is suddenly a legitimate threat. New York, Pennsylvania and so far 16 other states have enacted legislation -- in each case with virtually identical wording to the nationally lobbied Ammunition Accountability Act -- that would mandate the engraving of a unique serial number on the base of each handgun and "assault weapon" bullet and an identical number on the cartridge's case. The act calls for dealers of this "encoded ammunition" to record the purchaser's name, birth date, drivers license number, etc.

All non-encoded ammunition must be disposed of prior to Jan. 1, 2011. The database and other expenses involved would be paid for by a special tax of a half-cent per round of ammunition sold.

You can read the whole thing in Assembly Bill 10259, which was introduced last March (without a co-sponsor at the time). It mirrors A6920, A7300 and Senate companion bills S1177 and S3731, all of which were carried over from 2007.

Pennsylvania's House Bill 2228 is a virtual twin to the New York bills.

Remington and other ammunition manufacturers earlier this year went on record stating that they couldn't afford to sell in those states that required serialization of cartridges because it would be cost prohibitive. One assumes that this is precisely what the anti-gun folks want.

Article here. Hopefully, all those naïve hunters with their rifles in "assault weapon" calibers -- you know, like .30-06 Springfield, .308WIN, .223REM, etc. (and whatever gets defined as an "assault weapon" caliber) pay attention and get involved in stopping this nonsense.