Just because the Obama administration delayed their ammo ban after a national uproar does not mean they’re done trying to implement gun control—or “common-sense rules,” as they put it.
Earlier this year the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had proposed a ban on certain types of ammunition they defined as “armor-piercing,” including those that had previously received sporting-use exemptions. After over 80,000 negative comments flooded in, they halted their plan to “further evaluate the issue.”
Following this defeat, the administration avowed their “commitment” to gun rules: “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, according to The Hill.
“I think the president’s own personal conviction on this matter has been pretty evident to those who have watched his public comments,” said Earnest.
Obama has made no secret of his eagerness for gun control—he recently delivered an anti-gun speech so hyperbolic it received three Pinnochios from the Washington Post fact-checkers. In the speech, delivered to Benedict College in South Carolina, he claimed that in some neighborhoods, “it’s easier for you to buy a handgun and clips than it is for you to buy a fresh vegetable,” and that gun rights activists want “firearms in kindergarten” and “machine guns in bars.”
He also stood staunchly behind the ammo ban proposal, with Earnest telling reporters several weeks ago, “I’d put this in the category of common-sense steps that the government can take to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans while also making sure that our law enforcement officers who are walking the beat every day can do their jobs just a little bit more safely.” The administration argued that these “armor-piercing” bullets would endanger police officers if used in a handgun, despite there being no documented cases of this actually happening.
