Through executive action, Obama has banned ammo for the top-selling AR-15 style semi-automatic, labeling them ‘cop killers’, and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will put the ban of 5.56 mm ammo on a fast track, which already driving up price and demand.
Gun stores are now reporting an increase in price of 30% and an increase in demand of 1000%.
Wednesday night, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, stepped in with a critical letter to the bureau demanding it explain the surprise and abrupt bullet ban. The letter is shown below.
The National Rifle Association, which is working with Goodlatte to gather co-signers, told Secrets that30 House members have already co-signed the letter and Goodlatte and the NRA are hoping to get a total of 100 fast.
“The Obama administration was unable to ban America’s most popular sporting rifle through the legislative process, so now it’s trying to ban commonly owned and used ammunition through regulation,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA, the group’s policy and lobby shop. “The NRA and our tens of millions of supporters across the country will fight to stop President Obama’s latest attack on our Second Amendment freedoms.”
At issue is so-called “armor-piercing” ammunition, an exemption for those bullets mostly used for sport by AR-15 owners, and the recent popularity of pistol-style ARs that use the ammo.
The inexpensive 5.56 M855 ammo, commonly called lightgreen tips, have been exempt for years, as have higher-caliber ammunition that also easily pierces the type of soft armor worn by police, because it’s mostly used by target shooters, not criminals. The agency proposes to reclassify it as armor-piercing and not exempt.
But now BATFE says that since the bullets can be used in semi-automatic handguns they pose a threat to police and must be banned from production, sale and use. But, as Goodlatte noted, the agency offered no proof. Federal agencies will still be allowed to buy the ammo.
“This round is amongst the most commonly used in the most popular rifle design in America, the AR-15. Millions upon millions of M855 rounds have been sold and used in the U.S., yet ATF has not even alleged — much less offered evidence — that even one such round has ever been fired from a handgun at a police officer,” said Goodlatte’s letter.
Even some police don’t buy the administration’s claim. “Criminals aren’t going to go out and buy a $1,000 AR pistol,” Brent Ball, owner of 417 Guns in Springfield, Mo., and a 17-year veteran police officer told the Springfield News-Leader. “As a police officer I’m not worried about AR pistols because you can see them. It’s the small gun in a guy’s hand you can’t see that kills you.”
Many see the bullet ban as an assault on the AR-15 and Obama’s back-door bid to end production and sale.
“We are concerned,” said Justin Anderson with Hyatt Gun Shop in Charlotte, N.C., one of the nation’s top sellers of AR-15 style rifles. “Frankly, we’re always concerned when the government uses back-door methods to impose quasi-gun control.”
Groups like the National Shooting Sports Foundation suggest that under BATFE’s new rule, other calibers like popular deer hunting .308 bullets could be banned because they also are used in AR platforms, some of which can be turned into pistol-style guns. “This will have a detrimental effect on hunting nationwide,” said the group.
He’s not coming for guns. He’s not coming for ammo. He’s not violating your precious 2nd Amendment. Does it help any of you people sleep better living in constant fear that some mythical government agent is going to knock on your door and take your guns. None of those things are going to happen. But groups like truthandaction.org live and profit off the clicks and 8,112 times this garbage has been shared. Relax. Breathe. Go get an ice cream cone.
Ru Jessop actually, the second amendment was NOT devised to protect citizens from an overzealous government; the second amendment and the militia acts were created to protect the new U.S. government from revolt by its new citizens. Unless you believe our first president, George Washington (remember him?), subverted the second amendment and the militia acts when he rounded up a militia in order to PUT DOWN THE WHISKEY REBELLION, which was an armed revolt by United States citizens. This fact was taught as consensus history when I was a kid, before the NRA perpetrated grand fraud on the American public in the 1970’s and revised history in order to further their unholy mission to sell as many guns as possible no matter how huge the loss of human life.
Jon Lott has been debunked so many times by so many different people he is no longer considered to be a credible authority outside extremist right wing circles.
Not why the second amendment was created.
Ronald L Dye you are delusional.
People like Bloomberg have tried but if you read the FBI’s latest report and the data from the CDC you will see how the Anti gun lobby has distorted the actual data. Instead of accepting this propaganda actually do your own research. I guess if Bloomberg tells a lie often enough people will believe it is true. You are the problem for not doing research. I don’t see any reference to any studies in your post but you can Google John Lott
Where am I going wrong here?
299 days left
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http://www.snopes.com/obama-suspends-2nd-amendment/