Gun-rights advocates are up in arms over a new proposal by Barack Obama’s administration that aims to ban a popular “armor-piercing” bullet used in AR-15 semiautomatic rifles.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) this month quietly unveiled a proposal that would ban the popular 5.56mm green tip rifle bullets, in a move that the bureau said would help protect police officers.

But pro-gun supporters, from Congress to NRA leader Wayne LaPierre pushing on Friday to “take back the country”, cast the administration’s plans as an attempt to undermine the manufacture and sale of AR-15 rifles themselves. The White House attempted unsuccessfully to push for an assault-weapons ban in 2013.

“The NRA and corporate gun lobby are gathering blogger pals around the electronic campfire to tell each other ghost stories,” Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in a statement on Friday.

This is not a gun grab; it’s a proposed rule change to protect the lives and safety of law enforcement officers. We are listening closely to law enforcement groups around the country seeking their knowledge and advice.



The Obama administration’s new proposal would prohibit the manufacture and sale of the bullets – and allow those who already own the ammunition to use them up without consequence.

US congressman Bob Goodlatte, Republican from Massachusetts, is gathering signatures for a letter to the ATF demanding an explanation for the bureau’s proposed framework.

“The effects of these restrictive interpretations are untenable,” the letter says.

It continues: “Millions upon millions of M855 rounds have been sold and used in the US, yet ATF has not even alleged – much less offered evidence – that even one such round has ever been fired from the handgun at a police officer.”

Goodlatte received $9,900 in contributions from the NRA during the 2014 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The NRA is encouraging its members to write to the ATF opposing the framework.

On Friday, LaPierre, the NRA executive vice-president and CEO, took to the stage at CPAC to insist that its second amendment rights were “under attack”.

The ban on “armor piercing” ammunition was created by the 1986 Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act (Leopa), in an effort to protect law enforcement officers. Under the law, the 5.56mm bullets were exempt because they were not used in handguns, which the law targeted.

Traditionally, the ammunition – which could easily pierce bulletproof vests and other protective gear worn by law enforcement officers – was used in rifles, popular among target shooters and hunters. The bureau said a spike in new handguns capable of firing the green tip bullet pose a threat to law enforcement officers.

“The ATF might have ignored this issue except that gun makers chose to start manufacturing handguns chambered for these rounds capable of piercing protective vests worn by law enforcement officers,” Malte, of the Brady campaign, said.

Following the school-shooting massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, the Obama administration introduced a proposal that would have banned assault rifles, but it failed along with efforts to ban high-capacity magazine clips and expand background checks. Political efforts for major gun-control reform have not reached such high stakes since, with more minor reforms proposed on the state level.

The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004, barred the manufacture and import of an array semi-automatic weapons and high capacity bullet magazines.

The proposal has not gone into effect yet. The ATF is hosting a 30-day comment period, ending on 16 March 2016, before the attorney general makes the final decision. The NRA is urging its members to send letter opposing the new framework.