2015: Schweikert Voted To Bar Funds From Being Used To Treat Ammunition As Armor Piercing, Except For Ammo Designed And Intended To Be Used In A Handgun. In June 2015, Schweikert voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "bar[red] funds made available by the bill from being used to treat ammunition as armor-piercing for purposes of chapter 44 of Title XVIII of United States Code, except for ammunition designed and intended to be used in a handgun." Then underlying measure was H.R. 2578, the FY 2016 Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations act. The vote was on the amendment. The House agreed to the amendment by a vote of 250 to 171. The House later passed the underlying legislation, but it but died in the Senate after an attempt at becoming a vehicle for a different appropriations bill. [House Vote 289, 6/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 6/3/15; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 341; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2578]
The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco And Firearms Proposed A Ban Of M855 'Green Tip' Ammunition. According to CBS, "The ATF had proposed banning some types of ammunition used in the popular AR-15-style rifles. The rule change would have affected only 'M855 green tip' or 'SS109' rounds with certain types of metal core projectiles. In a letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones last month, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., objected to the plan. On Tuesday, he applauded the reversal, saying he was 'pleased that the Obama administration has abandoned its attack on the Second Amendment.' Armor-piercing handgun ammunition has been banned since 1986 as a way to protect police officers under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act. The rifle bullets considered under the ban were long thought to be considered exempt because they were used for 'sporting purposes,' such as target shooting." [CBS News, 3/11/15]
Stephen Stromberg: Ammunition Could Pierce Police Armor; Ammo While Popular With The AR-15, Was Also Used In A Certain Handgun And Was Thus A Threat To Law Enforcement. According to Stephen Stomberg, "In fact, it was Congress that banned armor-piercing ammo in 1986, not the Obama administration in 2015. Police officers understandably worried that the bullets could penetrate the body protection they wear. However, dealers have been able to sell the ammunition in question, 5.56mm 'green tip' bullets, under an exception to the law that exempts bullets used primarily for sporting purposes. The ammunition continues to be a popular match with the semi-automatic AR-15 rifle. Yet there's now a handgun on the market that can accept the 5.56mm bullets, too. Though many sportsmen use this type of ammunition, the introduction of a compatible handgun makes it easy for criminals to chamber the armor-piercing bullets in small concealed weapons, the sort of firearms that cops generally encounter and fear. If the 1986 law means anything, the ATF concluded, armor-piercing ammunition 'for two-shot and semi-automatic handguns cannot be characterized as 'primarily intended' for use in sporting purposes.'" [Stephen Stromberg, 3/12/15]
The Administration Later Withdrew The Proposal; More Than 80,000 Comments On The Proposed Rule. According to CBS, "Amid an onslaught of criticism, the Obama administration has dropped plans to ban a popular type of rifle ammunition that can pierce a police officer's protective vest if fired from a handgun, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Tuesday. More than 80,000 people have commented on the proposal to ban certain types of 5.56 mm, or .223 caliber, ammunition since the agency announced its proposal last month. An ATF spokeswoman, Ginger Colbrun, said the vast majority of comments were critical of the proposal. Objections also came from 291 members of Congress - majorities of both the House and Senate." [CBS News, 3/11/15]
Rep. John Culberson (R-TX): Amendment Was Necessary Because Of The Previously Withdrawn Ammo Ban. In a floor speech, Rep. Culberson said, "Madam Chair, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania. I do, as he knows, support this amendment because it has become necessary to put restrictions like this on the bill because the ATF, under President Obama, did attempt to prohibit 223 ammunition, which is used in one of the most popular and widely available sporting rifles in the United States." [Congressional Record, 6/3/15]
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): ATF's Overreached In Their Interpretation Of The Statute. In a floor speech, Rep. Massie said, "Mr. Chairman, back in March, the ATF backed off on a controversial proposal to restrict the use of so-called 'green tip' ammunition, some of the most popular ammunition in the country. In fact, it is used in the popular rifle, the AR-15. The BATFE received over 80,000 comments, primarily from citizens who opposed the Bureau's attempt to restrict their Second Amendment rights. And so the ATF rescinded its proposal. In my opinion, the proposed restriction was based on a flawed application of chapter 44 of title 18 of the United States Code. If you go back and look at the debate that occurred in Congress, you will see that the legislation that was written was clearly meant to cover handgun ammunition. It was never meant to cover rifle ammunition." [Congressional Record, 6/3/15]
Chris W. Cox, Of The NRA, Claimed That The FBI Had Data Saying No Police Officer Was Killed By The Ammo. According to Cox, "The Obama administration's latest attack on the Constitution is a dictatorial ban by ATF on popular M855 or 'green tip' rifle ammunition --- one of the most popular cartridges for the most popular rifle in America. M855 ammunition has long been exempt from a federal ban because it is 'primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes.' Nothing about this has changed. That is still how it's used today. What has changed is the goal. The goal is to give anti-gun allies, like former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a victory. And they have ripped a page out of Mr. Bloomberg's playbook to achieve the goal --- a public campaign based on lies. To justify the ban, ATF is citing law enforcement safety. They claim that law enforcement officers face a 'significant threat' from the use of the ammunition when fired from handguns. This is false. According to the FBI, not one single law enforcement officer has been killed with M855 ammunition fired from a handgun. The executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, James Pasco, stated: 'Any ammunition is of concern to police in the wrong hands, but this specific round has historically not posed a law enforcement problem.'" [Washington Times, 3/5/15]
2016: Schweikert Voted To Bar The Interior And Agriculture Departments From Regulating Ammonization Based On Its Lead Content If The Bullet Was In Compliance With State Law. In February 2016, Schweikert voted for a bill which expanded hunting and fishing on federal lands which also barred the Interior Agriculture departments from regulating ammunition based on its lead content if the lead content was legal under state law. According to Congressional Quarterly, the legislation would have "bar[red] the Interior and Agriculture departments from regulating the use of ammunition or fishing tackle based on lead content if they are in compliance with state law." The underlying bill would have, according to The Hill, "expand[ed] public access to recreational shooting and hunting on federal lands." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 242 to 161. The Senate took no substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 101, 2/26/16; Congressional Quarterly, 2/26/16; The Hill, 2/26/16; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2406]