Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute
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| Formation | 1926 |
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| Type | Standards Organization |
| Headquarters | Newtown, Connecticut |
| Location | |
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Official language
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English |
| Mission | Creating and publishing industry standards for safety, interchangeability, reliability and quality; coordinating technical data; and promoting safe and responsible firearms use. |
| Website | http://www.saami.org/ |
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American firearms and ammunition manufacturers. SAAMI publishes various industry standards related to the field, including fire code, ammunition and chamber specifications, and acceptable chamber pressure. In the United States, firearms and ammunition specifications are not overseen by the Consumer Product Safety Commission or any other branch of government. Only manufacturers that are members of SAAMI are bound by the Institute's guidelines.
SAAMI was founded in 1926 at the behest of the US government, with a charter to create standards, coordinate technical data, and promote firearms safety. For example, they publish a list of Unsafe Arms and Ammunition Combinations which details situations where a smaller cartridge may fit in a firearms designed for a larger cartridge, but would be unsafe to use. For example a .44 Magnum cartridge will chamber in a .45 Colt firearm but operates at a higher pressure and would be unsafe. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
SAAMI standards are voluntary, and are not incorporated into federal law in the United States.
SAAMI's work is broken up in various committees each with a specific charter.
The Technical Committee does the main work of SAAMI. It is their job to set standards for ammunition and firearms. They interface with their European counterpart C.I.P. to try to develop common, internationally recognized standards. The technical committee provides an industry glossary to facilitate better communication.
The Logistics and Regulatory Affairs committee (also called SLARAC) is responsible for helping create transportation and store regulations. This is done mostly through educating people and agencies on safe practices. They work with and are members of:
SAAMI Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee tracks and lobbies for and against legislation, and works with regulatory agencies such as the ATF to represent their member's interests.
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