A small barrage of ammunition-related bills has hit Congress.
After the Obama administration backpedaled on its proposed ban on “amor-piercing” ammunition, even for sporting purposes, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) first introduced a bill that would ban the bullets. Now two more battling bills have landed in the House.
First there’s Rep. Jackie Speier’s (D-Calif.) “Modernize Law Enforcement Protection Act,” which bans any ammunition that could theoretically pierce body armor. It’s broader than Engel’s bill, which specifically banned the private use of small caliber, .223-derived, 5.56x45mm NATO “green tip” rounds.
“The Second Amendment does not give anyone the right to use a bullet that is specifically designed to pierce the protective gear worn by police officers,” co-sponsor Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) told The Hill.
This bill has been introduced before, but Israel and Speier reintroduced it in light of the administration’s halt of the ban.
Then there’s the Republican response, Rep. Patrick McHenry’s (R-N.C.) “Ammunition and Firearms Protection Act.” It would block the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) which initially proposed the ban, from outlawing ammunition “intended, marketed, and sold for rifle use.”
ATF had argued that the ban was necessary because ammunition once used primarily in popular rifles like the AR-15 could now be used in handguns, and therefore posed a danger to police officers.
“The Ammunition and Firearms Protection Act would put an end to this attack on our Second Amendment by ensuring this popular ammunition used by countless law-abiding American sportsmen remains available and not subject to any future ATF bans,” McHenry said in a statement.
The NRA’s Chris Cox added an accompanying statement of support, saying, “The Obama administration has made it clear that they will pursue an ammunition ban whenever they see an opportunity. Congressman McHenry’s bill will help fight back against President Obama’s unconstitutional attacks on our freedom.”
ATF put the brakes on the ban after receiving over 80,000 negative public comments on it before their comment period had even ended. But the Obama administration has since stated their continued 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.”
