It seems that “armor-piercing” ammo is not yet out of the crosshairs of zealous Democratic regulators. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill to ban all bullets under this definition, after the Obama administration caved on their own proposed ban.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) had initially signaled their intention to ban all ammunition they define as “armor-piercing,” even ammunition that had previously received sporting-use exemptions for use in popular guns like the AR-15 rifle. But after opening the idea up for public comments, they received over 80,000 negative comments and decided to pause their plan for further review.
Now Engel has introduced the “Armor Piercing Bullets Act” to restrict these bullets to military and law enforcement personnel.
“There is absolutely no compelling argument to be made for anyone else to have access to them,” Engel said in a statement. “But the out of touch gun industry lobby is fighting tooth and nail to keep cop-killing ammunition on the streets. We need to speak up on behalf of our police officers and say ‘stop the madness.’”
Specifically, his act would ban the private use of small caliber, .223-derived, 5.56x45mm NATO “green tip” rounds. The administration claims these pose a risk to law enforcement, since they can potentially be used in handguns, although there have been no reported instances of police officers harmed this way.
“As the ATF rightly pointed out, these rounds can easily be loaded into concealed pistols and other short guns, making them particularly dangerous to police officers,” Engel said. “The well-being of the men and women who protect us should not, and need not, be a partisan issue.”
According to The Hill, dozens of Democratic legislators are also penning a letter to ATF urging them to proceed with the ban.
Meanwhile, the White House has already promised they are not done with gun control: “The president’s commitment to putting in place common-sense rules that will protect Second Amendment rights, but also prevent those who shouldn’t have firearms from getting them, is as strong as ever,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday,
