# Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, Inc. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 10-0099  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2010-06-16

10-0099 response to Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, Inc. concerning 172.502.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington. D.C. 20590
JUN 16 2010
Mr. Rick Patterson
Managing Director
Sporting Anns & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, Inc.
Flintlock Ridge Office Center
11 Mile Hill Road
Newtown, CT 06470-2359
Ref. No. 10-0099
Dear Mr. Patterson:
This responds to your April 28, 20 I 0 request for clarification of the Hazardous Materials
Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-1S0). Specifically, you ask PHMSA to clarify that only
shipments of Division 1.4 materials requiring placards are subject to security plans and that any
load not requiring placards, whether or not it is permissively placarded, is not subject to the security
plan requirements.
You indicate that PHMSA's intent has been to require security plans for shipments requiring
placarding under part 172, subpart F. However, in the recently published final rule, HM-232F, (75
FR 10974; March 9, 2010), the revised security plan applicability requirement states, "A quantity of
a Division 1.4, 1.5, or 1.6 material requiring placarding in accordance with § 1 72.504( c)" (75 FR
10989). You are concerned that this reference to § 1 72.504( c), narrowed from the previous
"subpart F", could be reversely interpreted to exclude other placarding exceptions, e.g.,
§ 172.504(f)(6).
It was our intent that the security plan requirements for Division lA, 1.5, and 1.6 explosives
continue to apply as they did prior to publication of the HM-232F, final rule. In the preamble we
say, "the security planning requirement will apply, as it does now, to all Division 104 explosives
transported in quantities that require placarding under Subpart F of Part 172 of the HMR." (75 FR
10979). The reference to § I 72.504( c) in § 1 72.S00(b )(2) of the final rule is a drafting error. The
error will be corrected in a future rulemaking.
I hope this answers your inquiry. If you need additional assistance, please contact this Office.
Sincer1ly,
a4~
Charles E. Betts
Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

<<<PAGE 2>>>

®
SPORTING A~/.lS AND AMMUNITION MAN!.JFACT!.JREtRS· INSTITUTE, INC.
SINCE 1926
April 28, 2010
Edward Mazzullo
Office of Hazal'dous Materials Standards
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrati.on
Attn: PHH-l 0
U.S. Depa11ment ofTl'anSp0l1ation
East Building, 1200 New Jersey A Venue, SE
Washington, DC 20590-0001
Rc: Request for Intel'pl'etation 011 Security Plan Aplllicability
Dear Mr. MazzuHo:
The Sporting Arms and Aimmmition M.anufactllrers' Institute (SAAMI) was created at the
request of the US Government in 1926, Our mission was - and continues to be ~ creating
standards for safety, reliability, and interchangeability offirea1111s, ammnnition, and components,
Safety is the watchword of everything we do. We appreciate the opportunity to submit the
foHowing request for interpretation.
On March 9,2010, PHMSA published a finall'ule modifYing the applicability and components of
security plans. Our concern is with those Division lAS products which relate to anununition which
do not require plac.arding, Le.:
UN 0012 Cartridges, small anns lAS PG II
UN 0014 Cartridges, small arms, blank lAS PO II
UN 0044 Primers, cap type lAS pon
UN0376 Primers, tubular lAS PGn
In this letter we are asking PHMSA to clarify that these products are not subject to security plan
requriemenfs, as foHows.
Regarding the intent of PHMSA's changes, we note the stateme.nt in themle's preamble:
"It was not our intent to significantly expand upon current security planning requirements
applicable to explosives. In the NPRM, we indicated that most Division 1.4 explosives do not
pose a signifIcant transpol1ation security risk and limited security plan requirements to any
quantity of a material identified as UN 0] 04, UN 0237, UN 0255, UN 0267, UN 0289, UN
0361, UN 0365 j UN 0366, UN 0440, UN 0441~ UN 0455, UN 0456, or UN 0500."
-
-
-~------...
•..
-~--.
FLiNTLOCI< RIDGE OFFICE GENTER '. 11 MILE HILL ROAD' NEWTOWN, CT 06470-2359 • (203) 426-4358 • FAX (203) 426-3592

<<<PAGE 3>>>

PHMSA, Security Plan Applicability April 28; 2010 Page 2 of2
Therefore, the p1'Oducts of interest to SAAMI do not pose a significant transport security risk. With
regard to these products, the previous security plan applicability was determined by placarding
requirements as stated in 172.800(b)(7):
172.800(b)(7) A qualltityofhazardous material that requires placarding under the
provisions of subpart F ofthis patt.
We conclude from this that PHMSA's intent has been to trigger security plans for shipments
requiring placarding, and not for shipments which don't require placarding, but are placarded
voluntarily in accordance with the penllissive pJacarding rule ill 49 CFR 1'l2.502(e).
The products classified as UN 0012,0014,0044 and 0376 do not require placarding in any quantity.
This is because they do not require labeling in the 172.101 hazmat table, and are thereby excepted
fi'om placarding by 172.504(f)(6), which states:
(6) The EXPLOSIVE 1.4 placard is 11,Ot required for those Division 1.4 Compatibility
Group S (l.4S) materials that 81'e not requh'ed to be labeled l.4S.
As ofthe March 9th Federal Register, the revised security plan applicability requirement is stated as:
(2) A quantity ofa Division 1.4) 1.5,01' 1.6 material requiring placarding in accordance
with § 172.S04(c);
We believe that PHMSA is here identifying that most Division 1.4 products do not require
placarding for shipments Jess than 1,001 pounds, and thus are not subject to security plan
requirements unless exceeding that level. We are concerned that this helpful pointer to the 1,001
pound placardingexception 172.504(0), nalTowed from the previous "subpalt F'" could be reveI'sely
interpreted to exclude other placarding exceptions, e.g. 172.504(f)(6). .
We ask that PHMSA please clarify that only shipments ofDivision 1.4 requiring placards trigger the
security plan requirements, and that any load not requiring placards, whether or not it is permissively
placarded, is not subject to the security plan requirements.
Rick Patterson
Managing Director

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2010/100099.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `0c98bcae0e6ae40ebe31dc294c8562cd6331de3bef54e9f10951edcfb25d153b`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T13:56:29.522Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-10-0099`

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