Letters: ATF should explain its ban on AR-15 ‘armor-piercing’ ammo

The Obama administration made several efforts to stealthily institute gun control. One of its favorite tactics was to go after ammunition rather than guns.

In March 2015, more than 200 members of Congress wrote to former Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Todd Jones expressing their “serious concern” that the “ATF Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ ” might violate the Second Amendment.

The letter asserts the ATF’s move “does not comport with the letter or spirit of the law and will interfere with Second Amendment rights by disrupting the market for ammunition that law abiding Americans use for sporting and other legitimate purposes.” Congress also expressed concern that proposed framework was not in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act, requiring that a “general notice of proposed rulemaking shall be published in the Federal Register .”

{mosads}Judicial Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the ATF, a component of the Department of Justice, seeking records of communications related to a proposed reclassification that would effectively ban certain types of AR-15 ammunition as armor-piercing. Judicial Watch filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia .

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the agency failed to respond to our March 9, 2015, FOIA request seeking information on the ammo ban effort:

All records of communications, including emails, to or from employees or officials of the ATF related to the decision to revise the ATF 2014 Regulation Guide to no longer exempt 5.56-millimeter SS109 and M855 — commonly called “green tip”— ammunition from the definition of “armor-piercing.”

The precise statutory definition of armor-piercing ammunition can be found in 18 U.S.C §921(a)(17).

The ATF is reportedly reconsidering its February 2015 proposal to reclassify certain ammunition, but many Obama holdovers and career types remain in power. So there is reason to remain curious until the requested FOIA documents come through.

This is yet another example of how former President Barack Obama zealously used the “pen and the phone” to undermine the constitutional rights of all Americans as opposed to upholding the rule of law. The Obama ATF simply ignored our request for information on its ammo “reclassification.” 

Let’s hope the Trump administration finally brings transparency to the ATF.

Washington, D.C.

A deal with China could be easiest way to deal with North Korea

From Serafin Quintanar

Could there be a deal in the works between President Trump, China and Japan?

Any major strike against North Korea would leave and enormous power vacuum. The U.S. should be wary of a protracted occupation in an impoverished nation with limited infrastructure; think Afghanistan. However, China may be in a position to install an indigenous government of North Korean officials with ties to China. 

Although China is a strategic competitor of the United States, a Chinese puppet government would be preferable to an insane dictator armed with nuclear weapons. Additionally, ceding North Korea to China would be a big bargaining chip in resolving the East and North China seas disputes with Japan.

Clovis, Calif.