Alan Gottlieb
By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
Overwhelmed with tens of thousands of negative comments from angry and alarmed gun owners, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives suddenly announced that it has set aside, at least for now, a proposal to ban .223-caliber M855 ammunition, the so-called “green tip” round that is popular with owners of AR-15 type rifles.
According to a brief announcement from the agency, more than 80,000 comments, most of which were negative.
The action came 24 hours after the Second Amendment Foundation launched a radio and television advertising campaign against the proposal, almost simultaneously with the delivery of a letter from 53 members of the U.S. Senate criticizing the plan. In addition, the National Rifle Association and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms had opposed the ban and let their members know about it. Days before the Senate members sent their letter, more than 230 members of Congress expressed their dismay over the proposal.
In a brief announcement, the BATF said, “Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry, and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study. Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation released a statement that the organization “looks forward to engaging in a dialogue with ATF to address this issue that led to the now withdrawn proposal.”
“Our industry members hope to meet consumer demand in bringing alternative ammunition products to the market and to continue to sell the popular M855 rifle target ammunition,” the statement said. “NSSF continues to strongly urge ATF to grant 32 long-pending petitions to exempt alternative rifle ammunition designed and intended for the hunting market.”
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb quickly reacted to the ATF announcement, warning gun owners that the fight over Second Amendment rights is far from finished.
“We are delighted to have been a part of the effort to stop this proposal in its tracks,” he said ina press release. “The grassroots responded to a serious threat, and the negative reaction on Capitol Hill from both the House and Senate – no doubt spurred by constituent calls and letters – have, at least for now, put the brakes on a bad idea.”
NRA officials also issued a statement cheering the decision, while being equally cautious.
“Today’s announcement proves what we have said all along — this was 100 percent political,” noted NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. “President Obama failed to pass gun control through Congress, so he tried impose his political agenda through executive fiat. But every gun owner in America needs to understand Barack Obama’s hatred of the Second Amendment has not changed.”
“The lies used to justify the ban were shameful,” said Chris Cox, Executive Director of NRA-ILA. “This proposal was never about law enforcement safety – it was about the Obama Administration’s desire to pander to billionaire Michael Bloomberg and his gun control groups. Since they haven’t been able to ban America’s most popular rifle, they are trying to ban the ammunition instead.”
“This is a great victory but the battle is not over,” SAF’s Gottlieb warned. “The Obama administration will try to rework this ban proposal and we will see it back sooner than later. Now is the time to double our efforts and drive a permanent stake through the heart of any ammo ban.”
