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Goodbye "Ole Green Tip"...

Actually received this email response today.

March 2, 2015



Dear Rhett:

Thank you for contacting me to share your opposition to the recent proposal by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to ban specific types of ammunition. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you know, the ATF proposal would ban 223 M855 "green tip" ammunition by revoking its "armor piercing ammunition" exemption. Under the draft framework, manufacturers would be prohibited from producing and selling 5.56 mm projectiles for M855 cartridges, which are commonly used in AR-15 rifles. Previously, this ammunition was declared as "armor piercing ammunition", but was granted an exemption since it is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes. Under the ATF's proposal, the exemption for sporting purposes will become much narrower and ultimately affect many law-abiding citizens who use this ammunition for recreational purposes.

The Administration has been attempting to ban the AR-15 rifle for years, only to be stopped by Congress. I am outraged at this backdoor attempt to ban certain ammunition that is clearly meant to suppress the acquisition, ownership, and use of AR-15's and other 223 caliber general purpose rifles. I joined over 100 of my colleagues in sending a letter to ATF Director Todd Jones expressing our serious concern with the proposed framework and emphasizing that the proposed ban will interfere with Second Amendment rights by disrupting the market for ammunition that is used for sporting and other legitimate purposes.

This draft proposal is just that, a draft. The ATF is accepting comments until March 16, 2015 on this indefensible attempt to bypass Congress and impose gun control. Should a permanent ban be attempted after the comment period, I and my colleagues in Congress will fight the effort by this Administration to strip away the rights of Americans. I am a champion of the Second Amendment and oppose efforts to weaken its guarantee that American citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. I have consistently voted to protect Second Amendment rights and have promised my opposition to any legislation or executive action that would prevent the legal ownership of and arbitrary limits on the use of certain firearms or ammunition. You may be certain I intend to continue to vigorously defend the rights of law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights as the debate on this issue continues.

Again, thank you for the benefit of your views.

Sincerely,

Luke Messer
Member of Congress
 
This from Hornady Manufacturing...

Contact ATF:
Oppose 5.56 M855 Ball Ammunition Ban

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) unexpectedly announced that it intends to ban commonplace M855 ball ammunition as "armor piercing ammunition." The decision continues Obama's use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress. Use the sample letter below to write the ATF and voice your opposition to this ban!

ATF will accept comments on this proposal until March 16, 2015. Email or write ATF today and tell them you oppose this unnecessary, misguided and damaging ban on commonly used ammunition for America's most popular sporting rifles.

Additional information can be found at https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150218/your-action-urgently-needed-to-prevent-batfe-from-banning-common-rifle-ammunition.

=======================

Email: APAComments@atf.gov

Fax: (202) 648-9741.

Mail: Denise Brown
Mailstop 6N-602
Office of Regulatory Affairs
Enforcement Programs and Services
BATFE
99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226
ATTN: AP Ammo Comments.

==============================

Feel free to use or edit the following sample letter, which can be emailed or snail-mailed to the ATF:

============================

Your Name
Address
City, State ZIP
Your phone number (optional)
Your email address (optional)

ATTN: AP Ammo Comments

Dear Sir or Madam:

I oppose an ATF ban on 5.56 M855 ball ammunitions.

It has come to my attention that the ATF is seeking public input on a proposed ban on 5.56 M855 ball ammunitions. I am contacting you today, to tell you I solidly oppose this ban.

Law-abiding American citizens have been using 5.56 ball ammunition for sporting purposes for decades, so this legislation appears to be a case of the government arriving at a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

Through this proposed ban, ATF disproportionately focuses on how criminals might use sporting ammunition in a handgun. Classifying criminals as a “consumer group” in the ATF’s white paper on this topic is also disturbing, as it further implies that the industry purposely sells firearms and ammunition to this element.

I urge the ATF to permanently drop the proposed ban of 5.56 M855 ball ammunition.

Sincerely,


Your Name, Title

===============================

We must keep up the pressure until the deadline of March 16, 2015

Thank you !!
 
Not to take away from the urgency of contacting reps to voice opposition and fight the proposal, but am I the only one who sees all this as a tactic the administration is using for their benefit.

How much additional tax revenue is being generated by the masses of gun owners that rush out and empty the shelves of ammo every time one of these issues arises? The value of those little blue and white stamps on ammo boxes goes straight to Uncle Sam's piggy bank. Need some additional revenue? Release a "draft" for potential regulation, then sit back and watch the dollars flow in through the flood gates. This administration has done more to grow and strengthen the firearms industry than regulate it.

Sure there are those in public office that truly wish to disarm us, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if those with the power to make the call are all sitting back and laughing their asses off at us, smoking cigars and drinking Scotch with the folks from the Cerberus Group while we empty store shelves and our wallets in a frenzy.

Always follow the money. It's at the heart of every issue...
 
Totally agree...We cannot stand idly by while they forbid, ban, restrict, and prohibit things THEY deem are in our best interest.

WTH has happened to this republic !!??...the wolves aren't at the gate...they are in already in the seats of power.


I'll NOT put up with it...and neither should YOU !!!

It's gotta stop sometime...why not right here and now !!!


It takes five minutes to send the letter and let these bastards know this will not stand

Suggest you make the effort now...or pay for not acting later.

Nuff said...

 
Proposed ATF Ban on M855 May Backfire...

President Obama’s visceral hatred for Second Amendment is well known, and so it isn’t surprising that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) under his control is attempting to ban the most common practice ammunition for the best-selling rifle in the nation, the AR-15.

Currently, the ATF is attempting to ban common M855 ball ammunition by reclassifying it as “armor-piercing” ammunition, even though the bullet, with its 80-percent (by weight) lead core and small mild steel insert doesn’t come close to meeting the legal definition.

Congress has quickly recognized the attempt to ban M855 for the attack on the Second Amendment that it clearly is, as the ATF’s “framework” argument now aimed at M855 ammunition for 5.56 NATO rifles could then be quickly used to ban almost all rifle ammunition in every caliber if unopposed.

Fortunately for law-abiding Americans, it appears that the audacious attempt on the heart of the Second Amendment by Obama’s ATF may end up backfiring.

With lightning speed, opponents of President Obama’s bid to ban a popular cartridge used in the top selling AR-15 semi-automatic rifle have won support from 40 percent of the House of Representatives, and Senate foes are also moving fast to build opposition.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, working with the National Rifle Association, has collected the signatures of 172 House members in just two days on a letter questioning the surprise proposal targeting the 5.56 M855 used by gun enthusiasts, associates told Secrets Saturday.

And in the Senate, Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is spearheading a new drive to collect signatures from his chamber to stop the move.
The shocking swiftness at building opposition to the proposal by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the latest display by many in Congress to leave Second Amendment issues alone, and it also is a testament to sportsmen and pro-gun groups like the NRA to derail the president’s gun-control efforts.

Florida Congressman Thomas J. Rooney is launching a legislative counterattack against the Obama end-run around the Constitution. Rooney’s H.R. 1180 is called the “Protecting Second Amendment Rights Act.”

“The Obama Administration’s proposal would unilaterally strip law-abiding hunters and sportsmen of their Second Amendment rights,” Rooney said. “Congress has made its intentions clear that this ammunition is for sporting purposes and should not be restricted. We cannot and we will not stand by while the Obama Administration tramples on the Constitution, the rule of law, and the Second Amendment rights of hunters in my district and across the country.”

While the language for Rooney’s bill hasn’t yet been made available, it could be as simple and powerful as the “armor-piercing” definition change within LEOPA’ 86 we proposed here at Bearing Arms previously.

(B) The term “armor piercing ammunition” means—
(i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used designed for use in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper or depleted uranium; or
That simple change in the language of the bill, striking “which maybe used” and replacing it with “designed for use” would remove all purpose-designed rifle ammunition from LEOPA, which was the original intent of the authors who wrote the bill who never wanted rifle ammunition to be affected.

The bill would not only block the ATF from banning common rifle caliber bullets in the present and future, but would also reverse existing bans on rifle ammunition common on the world market, such as the ATF’s April 2014 ban on 7N6 military surplus ammunition popular in 5.45×39 rifles, and a long-standing ban on M43-style 7.62×39 ammunition with a mild steel core.

If inexpensive 5.45×39 and 7.62×39 are free to flow back into the American market from foreign stockpiles, it could accelerate an already growing interest in firearms chambered for these cartridges, and could see a reintroduction of firearms chambered in these calibers as well in other platforms.

========================================

http://bearingarms.com/atfs-armor-p...ackfire-renew-interest-military-style-rifles/

========================================​
 
The Obama Administration has take the incredibly brazen completely normal tact of blatantly lying to the White House Press Corps about the M855 cartridge, and the Administration’s goal in banning the most common bullet made for the most popular rifle sold in the United States:

The White House said Monday that President Obama believes a ban on bullets commonly used with the AR-15 rifle will save police officers’ lives.

“We are looking at additional ways to protect our brave men and women in law enforcement, and believe that this process is valuable for that reason alone,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is accepting public comment on an administration proposal to ban .223 M855 “green tip” ammunition most often used with AR-15 rifles. House lawmakers from both parties, as well as sportsmen and some law enforcement officials, are objecting the move.

Mr. Earnest called it a “common-sense step.”

“The president has long believed that there are some common-sense steps that we can take … to ensure that we’re protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans while also taking some common-sense steps to prevent people who shouldn’t have guns from getting them,” he said.
Mr. Earnest added, “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.”

Let us list the fabrications told by the White House Press Secretary about M855 ammunition and AR-15 pistols, and then explain the magnitude of these clear and intentional falsehoods.
  • M855 is not “armor-piercing bullet” by either military definition or by U.S. federal law definition in LEOPA (Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1986).
  • M855 is actually common “ball” ammunition that does less damage than almost any other 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington cartridge made.
  • AR-15 pistols are anything but “easily concealed weapons.”
Background

Barack Obama’s goal of banning modern semi-automatic firearms and standard capacity magazines after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 failed in Congress, and so he has apparently tasked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and firearms with the “the next best thing,” which is heavily restricting ammunition for those firearms.

The ATF’s first target was inexpensive and obsolete Russian 7N6 military ammunition common in 5.45×39 AKM-pattern rifles, which was banned from import in April of 2014. This was the single largest source of 7N6 ammunition, which is the most common and inexpensive load used by American shooters of the 5.45×39 cartridge.

The Obama Administration has now set its sights on a much larger target, the M855 ball ammunition that is among the most common ammunition made for the best-selling rifle year in and year out in the United States, the AR-15. The administration’s attack is on all AR-15 rifles, using the tiny number of AR-15 pistols and a perversion of law as an excuse.

2015_02_16_153242_4-315x175.jpg


A cutaway view of M855 ammunition. 80% of the weight of the bullet is the darker lead core of the projectile, and the thin jacket is nearly irrelevant. The mild steel insert keeps the bullet from deforming and causing serious injuries, unlike prior and more recent designs. It is not considered armor-piercing by either federal law nor by the military forces of the world.

Not Armor-Piercing By Any Definition

M855 is not considered armor-piercing by either federal law, nor by the military forces of the world.
The armor-piercing ammunition used by the U.S. military is M995, which uses a solid tungsten core to pierce the armor of enemy fighting vehicles and modern military body armor.

9.jpg


Unlike the standard ball M855 round, the M995 is actually armor-piercing in function and under federal law, with a solid tungsten penetrator for use against lightly-armored vehicles. It is not sold to civilians.
Under federal law, M855 ball ammunition doesn’t meet either part of the two-part definition of “armor piercing” in the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Action (LEOPA) of 1986 that the Obama Administration is attempting to pervert.

18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(B) provides:
(B) The term “armor piercing ammunition” means—
(i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper or depleted uranium; or
(ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.

Far from being a “projectile or projectile core,” “constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper or depleted uranium,” the core of the M855 is soft lead, like the vast majority of bullets. 80-percent of the M855’s total weight is the bullet’s lead core.

The projectile is also neither “designed nor intended for use” in a handgun, but was designed in the 1970s for rifles with 20″ barrels, when AR-15 pistols didn’t even exist. Further, the jacket of the projectile is far less than, “25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.” Try about 5-percent.

The M855 isn’t “armor-piercing” by military definition, and isn’t close to meeting any part of the definition for being classified as “armor-piercing” under U.S. federal law.
The Obama Administration is blatantly lying, and the worst part of that lie is that they are actually increasing the risk to law enforcement officers, but essentially forcing everyone to acquire more deadly bullets.

M855 is LESS damaging than almost any other common 5.56 NATO bullet
The M855 is considered to be standard ball ammunition which causes less damage to human beings than virtually every other kind of 5.56 ammunition, including the all-lead 55-grain M193 round that it replaced.

NATO actually pushed the United States to adopt the Belgian-designed SS109 cartridge as the M855 because they felt that the American-made 55-grain M193’s tendency to yaw and then fragment was “inhumane” and possibly illegal under the Hague Convention of 1899, Declaration 4 against “bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body.”

80% of the weight of the M855 bullet is the darker lead core of the projectile, and the thin jacket is nearly irrelevant. The mild steel insert keeps the bullet from deforming and causing serious injuries, unlike prior and more recent designs.

Yes, you read that correctly: the M855 was pushed on the U.S. military as a less deadly bullet.​
 
American forces complained regularly about the spectacular failure of the M855 to stop enemy combatants, at least since the 1993 raid turned rescue mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, that became famous in the movie, “Black Hawk Down.”

35.jpg


The M855 cartridge was a spectacular failure in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, where Delta Force operators firing the round out of CAR-15 carbines reported that Somali militiamen took multiple rounds without immediate effect. The 10.5″ barrels of the carbines did not let the cartridge attain enough velocity to cause significan damage.

The failure of the M855 in short-barrel rifles like the CAR-15, the M4 carbine, and in M16s (when the bullet dropped below 2,500 FPS velocity) led the U.S. Army, SOCOM, and the Marines to develop different and more effective bullets, which have now almost completely replaced the M855 in combat.

The failure of the M855 to generate fight-stopping wounds is even more pronounced in AR-15 pistols with 7.5″ barrels that the Obama Administration is attempting to portray as such a significant threat to law enforcement. At the low velocities of a pistol, the M855 creates narrow “icepick” type wounds which do not incapacitate attackers, and which are far easier to heal from than almost any other 5.56 or .223 Remington bullet.

Put another way, the M855 is is high demand for punching paper targets, but stinks at stopping people.

By forcing this ammunition off the market with it’s false and spiteful reclassification of M855 as “armor-piercing,” the Obama Administration is ensuring the widespread adoption of more deadly bullets for law-abiding citizens and criminals alike.

AR-15 pistols are not “easily concealed weapons” by any definition

An AR-15 is, at its core, always a rifle. The upper and lower receivers, buffer tubes and magazines of AR-15s are always the same size as that of an AR-15 rifle, regardless of whether the barrel is shortened, or the stock is removed.

Here is a screen capture of YouTube Gun enthusiast Hank Strange shooting an AR-15 pistol from one of his videos. Does this look “easily concealable?”

39.jpg


No reasonable person can call a large, bulky firearm that weighs 5 lbs “easily concealable.”

The footprint of an AR-15 “pistol” is massive, no matter how it is defined.

In that regard, it has a lot in common with the lies of Josh Earnest and the Obama Administration.

Conclusion: It’s not about saving police, but hurting gun owners

To date, there are precisely ZERO recorded incidents of American law enforcement officers being fatally shot through their body armor with M855 ammunition out of an AR-15 pistol.

None.

So why would the Obama Administration put so much time and energy in attempting to ban M855 ammunition?

The AR-15 is the most popular rifle sold every year in the United States since Barack Obama was elected President, and the M855 ammunition is the most common and economical form of that ammunition. In manufacturing an excuse to ban M855, Obama is attempting to hurt all those Americans who have purchased AR-15-style rifles, as he’s already punished those shooters who own 5.45×39 rifles and who once enjoyed shooting economical 7N6 surplus ammunition.

Put bluntly, this is nothing more or less than a big “foxtrot uniform” (NSFW) to gun owners from a petty and vindictive President who has a long and storied history of spiteful attacks against those he does not like.

In the end, we’re being charitable when we chalk up Obama’s attempt to ban M855 as a scornful and clearly unconstitutional attack on the Second Amendment.

Others are viewing it as a prelude of an attempt to ban all rifle ammunition, as all centerfire rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and target shooting will penetrate police body armor designed to stop pistol bullets.

We’ve fought wars in this nation for less, starting with a little attempt to confiscate ammunition in the towns of Lexington and Concord on a chilly April morning in 1775.

Tread carefully, Mr. President.

================================

http://bearingarms.com/white-house-blatantly-lied-media-m855-ammunition-heres-matters/

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Another Response. Shooter, have you, or anyone else gotten any similar responses?

Dear Rhett:


Thank you for contacting me regarding the proposed ban on certain ammunition by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). I appreciate this opportunity to respond.


The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 1985 (LEOPA) intended to ban "armor piercing" ammunition (AP ammo) to protect police from harm. However, rifle ammunition used for recreational purposes can penetrate soft body armor. Subsequently, the ATF interpreted LEOPA to exempt rifle ammunition used for "sporting purpose s " from the definition of AP ammo. Since 1986, this exemption has included 7N6 rifle ammunition and M855 ball ammunition.


Having tried and failed to enact an outright ban on the AR-15 rifle, the Obama Administration now appears to be attempting to make it obsolete by banning some of the most common rifle ammunition on the market. On February 13, 2015, the ATF issued a report that proposed to ban M855 ball ammunition by classifying it as AP ammo.


Should the ATF ban be approved, the sale of commonly sold rifle ammunition used by gun owners for hunting, target shooting, and self-defense will be prohibited. The ban would suppress usage of AR-15s and other .223 caliber general purpose rifles by outlawing the most popular ammunition in the United States.


Several of my colleagues and I have sent a letter to th e ATF expressing our concerns regarding the ammunition ban and encouraging the ATF to withdraw its proposal. I continue to hold to my oath to support and defend our nation's Constitution. I will not support any legislation or regulations that would undermine the Second Amendment. I am a proud supporter of gun rights and will oppose any gun control measure such as this that infringes upon ownership rights for responsible, law abiding citizens. I will be sure to keep your concerns about ATF regulations in mind should the Senate consider legislation addressing the agency.


Thank you again for contacting me, and please do not hesitate to do so in the future on other matters of concern to you.




Sincerely,
SenCoatsInformalSig.PNG

Dan Coats
United States Senator
 
BREAKING 3/6/2015: Obama Administration Already Banned M855 Ammo, Illegally

The ATF already decided—unilaterally and in violation of federal law—to ban incredibly common M855 ball ammunition in January.

On Friday February 13 at 4:00 pm, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms released a proposal to ban commonly used M855 “green tip” AR-15 ammunition under the guise of law enforcement safety. The same day the proposal was released, on a Friday of a three day holiday weekend, ATF opened up a shortened 30-day period for the public to submit comments about the new regulation.

But it turns out, ATF has been working on a ban of AR-15 “green-tip” ammunition for quite some time and has already issued the ban in its new, 2015 Regulation Guide.

The Office of Management and Budget must review and approve ATF Regulation Guides, which again, come out approximately every 10 years. This can take months and changes to Regulation Guides are not easily or often made. Because of the lengthy amount of time it takes for OMB to approve a new ATF Regulation Guide, ATF’s comment period is just for show. ATF officials and the White House have (and never did) no interest in actually listening to or considering comments that are currently being submitted. The exemption for the ammunition in question has already been stripped out of the regulation handbook moving forward and “green-tip” has been reclassified as “armor piercing.” The rules have been changed. Further, because of local rules and regulations in different states across the country having their own “armor piercing” standards based on ATF regulations, thousands of people in possession of AR-15 green tip ammunition have been turned into felons overnight.


When you’re done, I’d like to see if any of you can help me understand how a coldly calculated effort to go around the Legislative branch, grossly exceed their legal regulatory authority, violate the Administrative Records Act, and undermine the Second Amendment, isn’t the act of a rogue and tyrannical Executive Branch.

This criminal action is worthy of not just a congressional oversight investigation, but an independent counsel’s investigation of the ATF, Department of Justice, and the White House for possible violations of federal law.


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Article:

http://bearingarms.com/breaking-oba...bafbp&utm_medium=fbpage&utm_campaign=baupdate

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2005 ATF Regulation Guide ( 243 page PDF )

http://www.atf.gov/files/publications/download/p/atf-p-5300-4.pdf

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