The White House on Wednesday insisted that it played no part in the decision by the Obama administration to drop a proposal to ban ammunition commonly used with the AR-15 rifle.
“The decision on this matter was made by the ATF,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, saying President Obama’s position on gun control has “not changed.”
Under intense lobbying from gun-rights advocates, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives abandoned a proposal to ban the 5.56 M855 “green tip” ammo.
Critics accused the Obama administration of attempting to use unilateral action to enact gun control provisions that would have no chance of passing a Republican-controlled Congress. Obama already failed in 2013 to push through a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, even with a Democratic Senate.
Throughout the latest controversy, the White House has said the proposal was designed solely by the ATF.
The agency this week said simply that it needed to study the recommendation further.
“Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry, and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study,” the agency said in a statement. “Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework.”
