OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

By: Bob Latta
By: Bob Latta
Date: Sept. 12, 2017
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Guns

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Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment that prevents the Federal Government from infringing on the Second Amendment rights of sportsmen and sportswomen in Ohio and from around the country.

Under the Obama administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives--the ATFE--proposed a new framework for interpreting a Gun Control Act and for determining which projectiles should qualify for the sporting purpose exemption. This framework would have withdrawn the exemptions for certain 5.56-millimeter ammunition, including the M855, because the ATFE felt that they should be classified as armor-piercing ammunition. The M855 is one of the most commonly used ammunitions in the United States and is widely used by target shooters and hunters. Ultimately, due to overwhelming public opposition, the ATFE withdrew their proposal.

In order to guard against new attempts to ban this popular and commonly used ammunition, I am offering this amendment, which prohibits the ATFE from using funds to reclassify M855 ammunition. Again, this amendment is codifying the ATFE's own stance.

As a lifetime hunter and competitor at the National Rifle and Pistol Championship matches at Camp Perry in Ohio, I fully support our Second Amendment right to bear arms, and I oppose any efforts to intrude on these rights. I believe that is what the ATFE attempted to do in 2015.

I also thank the chairman from Texas for his work on this issue in the previous Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment to protect the rights of sportsmen and sportswomen.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. Chairman, again, the ATF received over 80,000 comments on their proposal. In their own words: ``The vast majority of the comments received were critical of the framework and include issues that deserve further study.''

Again, this amendment is only codifying the ATFE's own stance. Again, I ask my colleagues to protect the rights of our sportsmen and sportswomen, and to support the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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