So, by now you’ve surely heard that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives and really big parties has publicized its intention to eliminate the exemption of M-855 and SS-109 ammunition from the ban on “armor piercing” ammunition. This would leave these steel-cored rounds unlawful to import, manufacture or sell.
How about that?
First, the BATFE (and really big parties) reversed itself last month on the Sig Support Brace, ruling that misuse of the brace is now a federal crime, in direct opposition to multiple determinations earlier in 2014 that said misuse doesn’t change the fundamental purpose of the design.
And now we have this reversal.
Can you say “Barack Hussein Obama pulling the levers behind the scene“?
We thought so.
The irony here?
US troops have long griped (to put it nicely) about the ineffectiveness of M855 rounds against bad guys. The rounds poke ice-pick like holes in the bad guys, failing to stop them.
The most common type of ammunition, besides the M855-style loads, is the 55gr. M-193-style full metal jacket. The M193 is more deadly than the so-to-be-banned M855 bullets. They yaw, fragment and in general create havoc the M855 rounds don’t.
Then there are the ballistic tip rounds and the open-tip match rounds that will become more common to fill the void left by the banned loads. These are even more effective against human targets than the M-193 loadings.
If the goal of the BATFE is to make the world a safer place, banning rounds that merely poke tiny little holes in their targets instead of more devastating wounds is exactly 180 degrees of what they should be doing.
This isn’t about making the world a safer place.
This is about the Obama administration making the world a more expensive place for shooters.
The good news? You have until March 16, 2015 to contact the BATFE about this intrusive, counterproductive proposal.
Email: APAComments@atf.gov
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