NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- Reaction is strong and growing to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) maneuvering on behalf of the Obama administration to ban widely held 5.56 M855 “Green Tip” ball ammunition.
The issue has caught political fire on Capitol Hill and is drawing the attention of the mainstream news media. This has occurred as tens of thousands of Americans emailed, faxed and called, both ATF and their Members of Congress to halt this unwarranted action. Here is a summary of the activity:
- U.S. SENATE, HOUSE LETTERS SEEK ANSWERS . . . U.S. Senators late last week began signing on to a strongly worded letter to ATF Director Jones questioning the bureau’s authority to end the exemption for 5.56 M855 ammunition under the sporting purposes test that has been in effect since 1986. The Senate letter, originated by Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), parallels an effort in the U.S. House of Representatives now signed by more than 200 members. The House letter calls into question the reasoning, manner and fast-track timing behind the bureau’s recent announcement.
- NSSF SEEKS 60-DAY COMMENT EXTENSION . . . NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Larry Keane has written ATF Director B. Todd Jones requesting that the agency’s announced deadline be extended an additional 60 days for comments on the bureau’s proposal. “Given the breadth of the impact this new framework will have on the industry and the number of calibers in question, we believe the 30 days allotted by the ATF is not sufficient for companies in the industry and the general public to provide meaningful comments and suggestions,” he wrote. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute also requested an extension.
- MAINSTREAM MEDIA ATTENTION PICKS UP . . . While the ATF action was covered heavily for several days by the industry trade and gun websites, as well as generating substantial traffic in social media, the mainstream news media awakened to the issue only late last week. NSSF’s Larry Keane explains the industry’s perspective in Friday’s New York Times and appeared on the Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File” that night. (See Video Below)
- KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING . . . Industry employees, target shooters and gun owners should contact their Member of Congress and the ATF to oppose this unnecessary ban, which is truly a solution in search of a problem and raises serious questions about executive agency attitude and overreach. Stopped in their attempts to pass more gun control laws on Capitol Hill, this action appears to be the Obama administration’s attempt to pursue gun control by other means. See the NSSF Action Alert and email ATF today. You should also email or Tweet your Member of Congress.
About NSSF The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.