In a move clearly intended by the Obama Administration to suppress the acquisition, ownership and use of AR-15s and other .223 caliber general purpose rifles, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unexpectedly announced today that it intends to ban commonplace M855 ball ammunition as “armor piercing ammunition.” The decision continues Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.

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It isn’t even the third week of February, and the BATFE has already taken three major executive actions on gun control. First, it was a major change to what activities constitute regulated “manufacturing” of firearms. Next, BATFE reversed a less than year old position on firing a shouldered “pistol.” Now, BATFE has released a “Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ Within the Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(c)”, which would eliminate M855’s exemption to the armor piercing ammunition prohibition and make future exemptions nearly impossible.      

By way of background, federal law imposed in 1986 prohibits the manufacture, importation, and sale by licensed manufacturers or importers, but not possession, of “a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely . . . from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.” Because there are handguns capable of firing M855, it “may be used in a handgun.” It does not, however, have a core made of the metals listed in the law; rather, it has a traditional lead core with a steel tip, and therefore should never have been considered “armor piercing.” Nonetheless, BATFE previously declared M855 to be “armor piercing ammunition,” but granted it an exemption as a projectile “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes.”

Now, however, BATFE says that it will henceforth grant the “sporting purposes” exception to only two categories of projectiles:

Category I: .22 Caliber Projectiles

A .22 caliber projectile that otherwise would be classified as armor piercing ammunition under 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(B) will be considered to be “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes” under section 921(a)(17)(C) if the projectile weighs 40 grains or less AND is loaded into a rimfire cartridge.

Category II: All Other Caliber Projectiles

Except as provided in Category I (.22 caliber rimfire), projectiles that otherwise would be classified as armor piercing ammunition will be presumed to be “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes” under section 921(a)(17)(C) if the projectile is loaded into a cartridge for which the only handgun that is readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade is a single shot handgun. ATF nevertheless retains the discretion to deny any application for a “sporting purposes” exemption if substantial evidence exists that the ammunition is not primarily intended for such purposes.

BATFE is accepting comments until March 16, 2015 on this indefensible attempt to disrupt ammunition for the most popular rifle in America. Check back early next week for a more in-depth analysis of this “framework” and details on how you can submit comments.



How to comment – from the BATFE
ATF will carefully consider all comments, as appropriate, received on or before March 16, 2015, and will give comments received after that date the same consideration if it is practical to do so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given except as to comments received on or before March 16, 2015. ATF will not acknowledge receipt of comments. Submit comments in any of three ways (but do not submit the same comments multiple times or by more than one method):

ATF email: [email protected]

Fax: (202) 648-9741.

Mail: Denise Brown, Mailstop 6N-602, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226: ATTN: AP Ammo Comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise Brown, Enforcement Programs and Services, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Department of Justice, 99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226; telephone: (202) 648-7070.

Live links and more at: NRA-ILA

Join me and SIGN this Petition against this measure!



OK ARFCOM...Let's start calling, writing, emailing and visiting the local offoces of your federally elected officials.  Use the above information to also contact Ms. Brown to respectfully voice your opinion on this issue as well.  Please join me in doing everything your time permits to make your opinion count!  

I know this information has been posted previously and I hope it is posted numerous times more.  We need to make this effort a top priority.  

Working together....we will prevail!

Done and done! Additionally, I shared on FB and other sites.

Also don't forget to sign the petition to send a message: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-batfe-banning-xm855-ammunition/XrvVh1cj

Signed....and promoted throughout my reach!  Thanks for posting the link!

Working together...we will prevail!

Thanks for the link. Signed.

Working on email next.

Thanks MM

Any examples on a good letter would be appreciated.

Hopefully we can keep up the pace.  When I signed yesterday, the petition was at 4800.  Now its close to 16K in less than 24 hrs

Thanks for the link.  Petitioned signed  22,607 so far.  Need 77,393 more to go.

Lots of them in this thread.

Thanks for posting this!

Signed and shared on Facebook. Thanks for posting this.

Thanks for the post...but I doubt signing a white house petition is going to do anything.  Just my $.02, ymmv.

It probably won't but it'll let them know where we stand.  Govt wants us to be a shrimp-on-a-stick and we have to let them know that there are a few of us that will not stand for this.  "We The People........."

Exactly my thoughts.....leave no stone unturned!

Signed it and emailed the ATF as well. If we don't fight this, it could lead to other bans if they see people aren't outraged. This is brazen disregard of law and we can't let them do this.

Signed….keep spreading the word about the petition guys.

Signed it.  Will write and call my Congress folks, too.

Petition has been stuck at  61102 all day yesterday. Its showing the same this morning.

We are currently at 72,000 plus.....Keep spreading the word and let's make this happen!  Believe it or not, these efforts really do make a difference and are monitored by the White House Staff.  Let your voice and opinion respectfully be known!

Thanks everyone....Joe

A. D.
March 04, 2015
Signature # 77,487


ETA: Shared on Facebook as well.

Done

Thanks brother....keep on signing the petition. Calling, emailing, writing and visiting the local office of your federally elected official to respectfully voice your opposition to this proposed measure.  Make your opposition known to the BATFE via the public comment period.

Working together...we will prevail!

Done!

# 78,605

The number is now over 79,000.....

Let's go ARFCOM.....we are the difference maker here.  Let's get this done!