The Obama administration may ban a type of ammunition used in one of the most popular types of rifles because it says the bullets can pierce a police officer's protective vest when fired from a handgun, the Associated Press reports. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is proposing the ban of some types of 5.56 mm rounds used in widely available and popular AR-15-style rifles because the bullets can also be used in some new types of handguns.
The rule change would affect “M855 green tip” or “SS109” rounds with certain types of metal cores. People who already own the ammunition would be allowed to retain itt, but manufacturers would not be allowed to produce, sell, import or distribute it. In a letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)., objected to the rule change, saying it would “interfere with Second Amendment rights by disrupting the market for ammunition that law-abiding Americans use for sporting and other legitimate purposes.” ATF is accepting public comment about the proposed change until March 16 at the email address APAComments@atf.gov.