WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 239 House members Tuesday raised "serious concerns" with a new Obama administration rule that would essentially ban the sale of one of the most popular forms of AR-15 ammunition in the country.
According to the House Judiciary Committee, some five million Americans own AR-15s rifles, and it is one of the most popular target shooting rifles in the country. Conservatives worry the move is part of an Obama administration effort to use it's executive power to implement stricter gun controls absent congressional action.
In February, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms issued a "framework" for determining what constitutes armor piercing munitions that would effectively ban the sale and importation of so-called "green tip" AR-15 ammunition. The ATF argues new handguns that can use the ammunition pose a threat to law enforcement officials.
In a March 4 letter from Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte co-signed by 238 other House members, lawmakers argue the framework "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 Americans use for sporting and other legitimate purposes."
Goodlatte and his colleagues note that ATF's proposed framework — which unlike most federal rules was not published in the federal register — is more restrictive than previous rules, and argue the Obama administration has yet to prove the ammunition actually poses a real threat.
"ATF has not even alleged — much less offered evidence — that even one such round has ever been fired from a handgun at a police officer. The idea that Congress intended [existing federal law] to ban one of the preeminent rifle cartridges in use by Americans for legitimate purposes is preposterous," the lawmakers argue.
The proposed ban has reportedly prompted a run on the ammunition across the country.