ATF shelves bullet ban proposalThe Obama administration is pulling back a controversial proposal to ban a form of armor-piercing ammunition commonly used in AR-15 hunting rifles.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) said it will not seek to issue a final framework for the rule “at this time” after receiving more than 80,000 comments on the proposal, the “vast majority” of which were negative.
"You spoke, we listened," the ATF tweeted.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun-rights groups assailed the proposal, and were joined by Republicans in demanding that it be withdrawn.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he is "pleased that the Obama administration has abandoned its attack on the Second Amendment."
"It is entirely inappropriate for President Obama to stretch his regulatory authority to implement partisan policies that Congress has refused to enact. Such an abuse of power would impact many law-abiding gun owners and restrict the American people’s ability to legally and responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights," Goodlatte said in a statement.
Gun advocates feared the proposal would open the floodgates to new ammunition bans, with far-reaching implications for gun owners.
While the bullets under consideration have traditionally been used by hunters and sportsmen in AR-15 rifles, the ATF had argued the ammunition can now be used in certain handguns, giving criminals easier access.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday had ramped up the pressure on the ATF to scrap the plan, arguing in a letter that “Second Amendment rights require not only access to firearms, but to bullets.”
“If law-abiding gun owners cannot obtain rifle ammunition, or face substantial difficulty in finding ammunition available and at reasonable prices because government entities are banning such ammunition, then the Second Amendment is at risk,” wrote 53 Senate Republicans.
Last week, hundreds of House Republicans sent a similar letter to the agency demanding it “abandon” the rule.
“Under no circumstances should ATF adopt a standard that will ban ammunition that is overwhelmingly used by law-abiding Americans for legitimate purposes,” the House lawmakers wrote.
http://thehill.com/regulation/pending-regs/235216-atf-shelves-proposed-bullet-ban