Rand Paul is rallying his supporters to protest the Obama administration’s move to ban a popular type of ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) recently proposed a complete ban on types of ammunition they’ve labeled “armor piercing”—including ammunition that, until now, has received an exemption on the basis of its use for sporting purposes, particularly in AR-15 rifles. They’re now accepting public comments on the decision through March 17.
Paul, in a letter posted on his political action committee website, called this an “outrageous assault on the Second Amendment.”
“I’m counting on your immediate action to help RANDPAC flood the agency with a message from America’s pro-gun majority,” he wrote. “Your grassroots muscle played a vital role in defeating President Obama’s national gun registration scheme in 2013. And your support is needed again to defend our Second Amendment rights in 2015.”
The letter asks supporters to submit a petition, and donate to “help me contact and mobilize as many pro-gun Americans as possible.”
BATF claims to be worried that handguns are now able to use this “armor-piercing” ammunition initially intended for use in sporting rifles, posing a risk to police officers.
“This seems to be an area where everyone should agree: that if there are armor-piercing bullets available that can fit into easily concealed weapons, that it puts our law enforcement at considerably more risk,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said earlier this month. “So 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.”
One Florida Republican has already introduced a bill to block such a measure, while other Republicans and the National Rifle Association have circulated a letter objecting to the proposal. The letter stresses the fact that, despite BATF fear-mongering, there is no evidence that any police officer has been harmed by one of these rounds from a handgun.
(h/t Daily Caller)
