BATFE Intends to Revoke M855 AP Ammo Exemption

[Tamara]

Part of the retarded aspect of this, wasnt the entire "armor piercing ammo" thing supposed to be about being able to penetrate soft body armor?

...and wont just about any high velocity hunting rifle caliber or load do that? The 855 ammo type ban makes no sense in that regard, it doesnt make any practical difference in regards to the supposed reason for the armor piercing ammo restrictions.

I just realized I was trying to apply common sense. Sorry.

Ah, but to ban a thing, you have to define that thing you are banning. If I say "shotguns are illegal", I have to define what a "shotgun" is. (In Indiana, that would be covered by IC 35-47-1-11.)

So, this law intended to ban "armor piercing handgun ammunition", but it had to define exactly what "armor piercing handgun ammunition" was. Like it or not, they picked a definition that was "ammunition that can be fired from a handgun that is made out of thus and such materials". If there were no .223 pistols, we couldn't be having this discussion because everybody and their brother knows that rifle rounds go through body armor. However...

The solution, of course, is to repeal the damn law. (Unless joshs or someone thinks it has a hope in hell of getting shot down as overbroad in court.)

[TR675]

Per BATFE's explanatory note - originally the law meant to ban AP ammunition "designed" for use in a handgun. The bills sponsor understood that rifle ammo could penetrate body armor and didn't intend the bill to cover it. How it got passed in its current state I don't know.

The whole issue could be fixed easily by going back to the bill's original language.

[Tamara]

Per BATFE's explanatory note - originally the law meant to ban AP ammunition "designed" for use in a handgun. The bills sponsor understood that rifle ammo could penetrate body armor and didn't intend the bill to cover it. How it got passed in its current state I don't know.

The whole issue could be fixed easily by going back to the bill's original language.

*turns on Alan Gura signal*

[joshs]

Per BATFE's explanatory note - originally the law meant to ban AP ammunition "designed" for use in a handgun. The bills sponsor understood that rifle ammo could penetrate body armor and didn't intend the bill to cover it. How it got passed in its current state I don't know.

The whole issue could be fixed easily by going back to the bill's original language.

The original language covered ammo "designed" for a handgun and capable of penetrating armor. Obviously, this was before my time, since I was only one when the ban passed, but the thought was that the original language gave way to much discretion to BATF to determine what ammo was "designed" for a handgun. Obviously, all "rifle" rounds met the capability test.

[Tamara]

Well, I've lit the Bat Signal as best I could.

[LittleLebowski]

Well, I've lit the Bat Signal as best I could.

Thank you. I mean it.

[hufnagel]

today just got really expensive.

[OkieHeat]

God, this is infuriating. Back door gun control.

Yes sir you are correct.

[Paul]

Nothing is better for gun and ammo makers, than a little government induced gun buying panic.

I wonder how much of this is typical run of the mill ATF business that's getting exploited. It's a government agency that's in the business of regulating guns, how many times has this happened before and it just wasn't on the gun blog-o-sphere's radar?

Then I wonder if this is a warning shot across the bow or retaliation for Sig Brace business that has been going on. The squeaky wheel squeaked a little to loud and now everyone gets slathered in grease.

Or it could all be political posturing. The Dems could be giving the Republicans an issue to put their foot down and make a stand over, and in return the Republicans give a little ground on something else and get a little leeway from their constituents. We're just a bunch of chumps playing into the game.

[Sigfan26]

Watched SGAmmo today... Think i saw them move, at least, 80 cases of .223/5.56 (probably closer to 100 over a 24 hour period, if i had to guess). I snagged one for an upcoming rifle class (not sure how long this will last, so planning ahead)