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.
The Secret Service carry 5.56 SR-16 assault rifles. Is he going to disarm them too?
I shall circumvent any executive action.
He doesn’t have the authority. Only congress can make law.
This is irresponsible. Occurred last February, and was defeated.
At least executive orders can be rescinded by the next president.
How certain are you that there will be a next president?
Justin Case There is a lot of hysteria surrounding the firearm enthusiast world, some is well-grounded and some is not. Unfortunately the way the internet works these days groups such as this have to lure people into their website with “click bait” c**p like this so people may click on a sponsored link to support their page. That being said, Obama has a proven track record of infringing upon 2nd amendment rights under the guise of “common sense” or other malarkey. The gun control crowd will stop at nothing to disarm the American public and will plumb any depths necessary to brainwash others into believing that is the right thing to do. The fact is that there hasn’t been any proposed legislation that would protect anybody, the people that are breaking these laws are already breaking them and will break the law regardless of whatever new laws you put into place.
Maybe he’s trying to cause an uprising or a civil war, so he can get a third term.
he cant stop the reloaders haha got ya again…….for every bullet he bans there will be 10 thousand more reloaded not a problem
Fail. No such ban by executive action. And here…plenty of green tips for sale found in 2 seconds on the internets…http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/search_result.php?keywords=.223+green+tip
POS…..That is all I can say.