Thank you for your interest in ATF’s proposed framework for determining whether certain projectiles are “primarily intended for sporting purposes” within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(C). The informal comment period will close on Monday, March 16, 2015. ATF has already received more than 80,000 comments, which will be made publicly available as soon as practicable.

Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement, industry, and sportsmen, the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study. Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework. After the close of the comment period, ATF will process the comments received, further evaluate the issues raised therein, and provide additional open and transparent process (for example, through additional proposals and opportunities for comment) before proceeding with any framework.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has authorized court action if the proposed ban on .223-caliber ammunition is implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the foundation’s general counsel has warned in a letter to BATFE Director B. Todd Jones.

Writing for SAF, general counsel Miko Tempski tells Jones, “This proposal is just an attempt to limit firearms rights because the President’s other such attempts have been blocked through constitutional checks and balances on his power.

“Should the BATFE lawlessly proceed on this path,” Tempski warns, “SAF intends to call on those checks and balances to stop the Administration’s executive overreach again.” Read more

March 5, 2015 (Washington, DC) – On March 4, 239 bipartisan Members of Congress, supported by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) leadership and including many CSC Members, signed on to a letter written by CSC Member Congressman Bob Goodlatte and  Congressman James Sensenbrenner, to B. Todd Jones, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The letter expressed concerns over the recently issued, “ATF Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ Within the Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(c).”

This proposed rule would eliminate the previous exemption that common M855 ball (5.56mm) ammunition received from the ATF’s “armor piercing ammunition prohibition” and would therefore make it illegal to manufacture, import, and sell this ammunition that is used in some of the most common modern sporting rifles and other rifle platforms currently owned and used by sportsmen and women throughout the nation.

The letter indicates that this Framework does not comport with the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act (LEOPA) of 1986, which was established in order to protect police officers from the hazards presented by “armor piercing” projectiles. “ATF should refocus its efforts on serious threats to law enforcement officers from specially designed armor piercing projectiles that are intended for use in the sort of handguns commonly carried and concealed by criminals. Under no circumstances should ATF adopt a standard that will ban ammunition that is overwhelmingly used by law-abiding Americans for legitimate purposes.”

The 239 Members of Congress signed on to this letter on behalf of millions of law-abiding Americans who enjoy hunting and recreational target shooting, and who are the financial backbone for the American System of Conservation Funding.

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