Jim and Hugh,
Here is an excerpt from one of the two letters I received from my Democratic Representative:
Thank you for contacting me with your concern about a rumor regarding the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) proposed regulations on 5.56×45 SS109/M855 “green tip” ammunition. This is a very important issue, and I am glad for the chance to respond.This response irked me as it refers to the ATF ban as a rumor. Rumor!?! It’s new policy, it’s real, and what he said was as bad as saying, “Let me give you the facts on this “conspiracy theory” about the BATFE. What is being said is insulting. The rumor is that this ammo is armor piercing, yet it wasn’t last year. It makes zero sense. So what if it’s being used in pistols. The 2A says “shall not be infringed”. Doesn’t this fit the definition of “infringed” to a tee? How is removing a common ammo defending my rights to self defense. Oh, and not allowing comment on that removal of rights? Doesn’t seem legit there too…
From what I now understand, the ATF made its decision with no public approval and should be sued out of existence. The link [see Ods ‘n Sods] proves they decided to do this in January when they printed their new rules, creating a policy backed by the current regime. It’s a show now to ask for public comment, but nothing commented is going to make them re-print their list of blacklisted ammo, arms, and go back on the policy they are pushing.
I believe that calling congressmen or emailing them serves as useless public kabuki. It’s so far after the fact of action that it doesn’t matter all that much. The usual Bohner-speak will come up, “Ah, yeah, we tried really hard to fight for your 2A rights, but we lost again by a few votes.” (You can replace 2A with Obamacare, or whatever keyword you want.)
I used the NRA site to contact all of them, and as usual the politicians will claim to be fighting for my rights (or something like that, as this guy suggested in response to my initial email). Meanwhile, he’ll be totally okay with violating my rights to keep a group safe and making me into a criminal because he doesn’t agree with firearm ownership being a RIGHT. (By nature of police work, it’s unsafe. Nothing banned is going to stop criminals from harming police; it’s pure stupidity to believe banning something will keep criminals from being criminals.) In the videos I’ve seen for police training, the criminal had a pistol holding 15 rounds, which they legally weren’t allowed to possess, the 15-rd mag, the hollow point bullets, and were robbing the corner gas station. Not one of those laws prevented anything a criminal took part in.)
At this point, it’s not even a bait and switch; it’s what I’d consider another assault on ownership of bullets for a rifle the feds want banned. Since they couldn’t legally ban the rifle, they are taking the ammo off the shelves by outlawing its ownership in civilian hands.
What I would also hope is that some people who would continue to sell this ammo and produce it sell it locally in states that have laws, thus preempting the ATF from taking action against the sellers. The last step of this should be that people on juries “nullify” this law, which is just policy pushed by the ATF. Would it be a great idea to open a class action lawsuit on the BATF for all AR-15 owners, since they are in fact violating our 2A rights with a POLICY rather than a LAW?
It is offensive that yet again people with guns are threatening the rights of gun owners. Yet again, there is the threat of fines levied, possessions stolen, and lethal force being used against gun owners by the un-lawful ATF. Not one place in the Constitution validates their existence.
More people should be angry and speaking out over yet another intrusion against our rights. So I’m writing this because I don’t want to find that in 10 years down the road rifles, pistols, and shotguns in the USA are banned and I sat back and did nothing at all, like what happened in the UK. Being a gun owner, this is forcing me to voice my opinion and tell others to join the NRA, join the GOA, join the JPFO and any group that will stop the rights from being ripped away from the people. Okay, if anything I’ve said here is wrong, please set me straight; I don’t want to discredit gun owners, but I am pointing out that what is being done is a lawless power grab that needs to be addressed in Congress; if they won’t do it, then it needs to be done from the jury box, and everyone knows what’s after that if they fail. – M.F.