On March 4, Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern County, California, said that the Obama administration’s attempt to ban M855 “green-tip” ammunition seems like an attempt “to create a problem that doesn’t actually exist.”
He also stated that “bad guys” are not using M855 ammunition to shoot cops.
According to local ABC News affiliate 23 KERO, Youngblood said that under a different scenario–i.e. “if bad guys were using those [rounds] to shoot cops”–he would be “the first in line saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do something.'” But that is not the case.
Youngblood stressed that while there are numerous rounds that can penetrate an officer’s bulletproof vest, the mere existence of such rounds does not, in and of itself, justify a ban. That is especially true for the M855 round, which is widely used for target shooting, not attacks on police.
Most of Kern County falls into House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) district, the 23rd. McCarthy released the following comment on the proposed ban: “If the administration and the ATF continue in this illegitimate path, the House will keep all options on the table, including potential legislation, to ensure this proposal is not implemented.”
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