ATF Director Badmouthing Rifle Ammunition

ATF B. Todd Jones would seem to indicate he’s not just concerned about M855:

In a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, ATF Director B. Todd Jones said all types of the 5.56 military-style ammo used by shooters pose a threat to police as more people buy the AR-15-style pistols.

“Any 5.56 round” is “a challenge for officer safety,” he said. Jones asked lawmakers to help in a review of a 1986 bill written to protect police from so-called “cop killer” rounds that largely exempted rifle ammo like the 5.56 because it has been used by target shooters, not criminals.

They’ve been trying to use this issue as a backdoor gun ban since I was in elementary school, as a way to ban all rifle ammunition. Here’s my concern: I hadn’t realized Jones was scheduled to appear in a budgetary hearing a few days after announcing he was backing off. What’s to prevent Jones from putting the M855 ban back on the table once he gets his agency’s budget approved? I think we need some protections in there to ensure he’s not just playing games for the sake of his agency’s budget.

Related posts (automatically generated):

  1. Obama Administration Sticking it to Us on Ammunition
  2. More Controversey over The 5.56x45mm
  3. More on M855 Ban: Going Green to Get Rid of AP Restrictions

14 thoughts on “ATF Director Badmouthing Rifle Ammunition”

  1. This issue won’t be dead until the armor piercing law is repealed or made moot by the courts.

    Also, it’s time for the “sporting purposes” madness to die a humane death.

    1. Agreed. And the ATF has really given us the issue on a silver platter. If we had 90,000 comments (Jones’s number), mostly negative on the ban on M855, it would be a tsunami of opposition for a ban on XM193. And the cat’s out of the bag. Does anyone really think “they aren’t coming for your ammo” after this? .30-06 and .308 are the next most likely targets.

  2. I pinged my reps about HR 1180. It’s not the end all solution but it’s a start. Pass it and attach it to a must sign bill to negate Baracks pen…

  3. Mr. Jones isn’t concerned for officer safety, he’s concerned about his own safety as his tyrannical henchmen continue to run roughshod over the rights of the common folk. The IRS, ATF, EPA, HHS & DoJ, even the post office just today with it’s spy cameras…the people are fed up with the whole lot, and something is bound to break the camels back. It really is time to disband many of these inept government organizations.

  4. And now the beast removes its mask. We knew full well what their interpretation meant, and it looks like that is their end-game after all. After anyone who ever needed an AR15 bought one in late 2012/early 2013, it is going to be an uphill battle for them to ban all .223/5.56. I’m glad he is comfortable saying that out loud. It will make it that much easier to defeat their crazy proposals.

  5. Pingback: The BATFE wants to ban ALL 5.56m ammunition

  6. Wow. From the article linked above:

    “The AR-15 can also shoot the less lethal .223 round, which was not targeted by ATF in the ban proposal.”

    Are these writers truly that stupid? My head hurts after reading that sentence. It probably is hopeless.

  7. Pingback: SayUncle » So, we must ban all AR-15 ammo?

  8. Those .460s and .500 pistols are a threat to officer safety!

    Sure, just like AR pistols, nobody’s ever – to my knowledge – shot at a cop with one, nor are they a good pick for criminal use, but … danger!!!

  10. I just thanked my congressman today for signing the letter telling the ATF to back off. But I then chastised him for using “hunting and sporting purposes” as his excuse. I wrote that the Second Amendment secures my right to lethal military combat arms to secure my State’s freedom from federal tyranny of the kind being perpetrated by the present administration, and that he needs to go further than just ammo; he needs to repeal the restrictions on M-16s and other militia arms for possession by private citizens as well. He’s actually called to speak with me personally in the past. We’ll see how he responds this time.

  11. I remind all my Gunnie Friends out there that the BATFEIEIO decision has only been POSTPONED.

    I can see that during the Congressional Summer Recess, the BATFEIEIO could make its decision to BAN the Ammo AND Obama signing an Executive Order enforcing it.

    And we should all know that there will NEVER be enough Votes to Overturn a Presidential Veto until January, 2017 at the earliest, when Obama (HOPEFULLY!) leaves the White House.

    Sometimes, being a Lame Duck isn’t that Lame.

Comments are closed.