Miss. Senator Argues Regulatory Ban on Ammunition Used by Sportsmen is Unwarranted.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –-(Ammoland.com)- U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today said the Obama administration should abandon its new effort to ban the use or manufacture of certain types of ammunition used primarily by sportsmen.
Cochran on Friday said a new regulatory effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to reclassify 5.56 millimeter projectiles of SS 109 and M855 “green tip” ammunition as “armor-piercing ammunition” runs afoul of the Law Enforcement Protection Act of 1986.
In a letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones, Cochran maintained the ammunition should continue to be classified as “primarily intended for sporting purposes.”
“It is my understanding that this common and widely available ammunition has been exempt from federal regulation related to armor piercing ammunition for almost 30 years,” Cochran said.
“I am concerned this proposed framework will supersede the will of Congress reflected through a statute that has proven effective in ensuring safe recreational application, and it will harm law-abiding gun owners and ammunition manufacturers.”
Cochran warned that the reclassification “sets a precedent that could lead to unnecessary regulation of almost all other classifications of ammunition.” The Senator said the prosed ATF framework disregards the “sporting purposes” exemption established in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(C) of the Law Enforcement Protection Act of 1986.
“In fact, this ammunition is used almost exclusively for sporting purposes. I strongly encourage you to revisit this interpretation and reconsider the vast implications that this may have on law-abiding gun owners and the American firearms industry,” Cochran wrote.
A copy of Cochran’s letter is available here: https://1.usa.gov/1C5LNql