Citing overwhelming response to the proposed ban on M855 rounds for the AR-15 rifle, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has announced the ban on the green-tipped round is being halted for now.
In a March 10 tweet sent at 10:21 am, ATF headquarters wrote: “You spoke, we listened. @ATFHQ plans more study on the AP Ammo exemption framework.”
On March 1, Breitbart News reported that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) and 99 fellow members of Congress signed a letter to the ATF indicating the “framework” being used to determine “armor piercing” capabilities and subsequent bans was flawed.
The letter specifically said the “framework” being used to assess and ban the M855 round “establishes an unduly restrictive standard, does not comport with the letter or spirit of the law, and will interfere with Second Amendment rights by disrupting the market for ammunition that law-abiding citizens use for sporting and other legitimate purposes.”
As of now, the Congressional letter and the public outcry appear to have made their mark. We have a reprieve while the ATF reconsiders their “exemption framework.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.