MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has signed a letter with 22 other state attorneys general imploring the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to permanently discard the proposed ban on the popular M855 5.56 x 45mm ammunition, often used in AR-15 rifles. The attorneys general called the proposed ban “arbitrary” and “unnecessary”, adding that it “could easily lead to bans on a wide range of rifle ammunition.”
Earlier this month after 80,000 Americans reportedly contacted the ATF during the proposed ban’s comment period, most of them negative, the federal agency dropped the proposal, but not without indicating that it would be back.
“We applaud your recent decision not to issue a final framework on this proposal, at least for now, and we strongly encourage you not to revive it,” the letter from the 23 state Attorneys General says. “We represent our respective states as each state’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, and in that role we directly oversee or work directly with numerous federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies. We, as much as anyone, want to do the utmost to ensure that our brave men and women that serve in law enforcement are safe. The proposed ATF ban on M855 5.56 ammunition, however, does not advance that goal. Instead, it threatens Second Amendment freedoms and deprives shooting sports enthusiasts of a popular cartridge for a popular rifle.”
AG Strange said that he and the other attorneys general have heard from members of the law enforcement community, who are also largely against the ban.
“Law enforcement has joined in asserting that this ammunition does not pose a public safety threat to them, and we know of no situation in which this has been used against law enforcement in any of our states,” said Attorney General Strange in a press release Tuesday. “Rather, it is one of the most popular target shooting range rounds, and also is effectively used by farmers and ranchers to protect their livestock from predators.”
The letter was signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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