In answer to a question by White House reporter Fred Lucas, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest defended President Barack Obama’s plan to ban so-called AR-15 “armor piercing” ammunition that could be used in handguns against police and other law enforcement officers.
Earnest described the Executive Action as a “common sense” approach to gun violence and that the president has directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to promulgate regulations to implement the ban of 5.56-millimeter “M855 green tip” rifle bullets so they cannot be in handguns.
238 congressional lawmakers voiced their opposition to the ban in a letter to BATFE Director, B. Todd Jones urging that the agency reconsider the proposed “Framework” to label these and other ammunition types as “armor piercing.” Quoting the letter:
“Millions upon millions of M855 rounds have been sold and used in the U.S., yet the 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…”
Earnest sidestepped the question of President Obama changing his decision to impose the ban by directing reporters to the BATFE and the “standard process” of gathering public comment before the ban would be final – a arguably pointless exercise if the decision has already been made.
The National Rifle Association is marshalling its’ forces in Congress to pass legislation overturning the ban legislatively if the BATFE moves forward with President Obama’s ammo ban edict.
In an editorial published in The Daily Caller, Chris W. Cox, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action said:
“President Barack Obama made a public promise to enact his gun control agenda “with or without Congress.” Now he’s trying to make good on that promise”…through “a dictatorial ban on the popular M855 or “green tip” rifle ammunition – one of the most popular cartridges for the most popular rifle in America, the AR-15.
No vote by Congress. No will of the people. Through executive action, Obama is moving to outlaw the manufacture and importation of common ammunition that millions of law-abiding Americans use every day for target shooting, hunting, and self-defense. Obama figures if he can’t ban our guns, he’ll render them useless.
Predictably, the coming ban has triggered a run on the popular round at gun and retail sporting goods stores with prices spiking from $10-$11 for a box of twenty rounds to $20 or more.
