Rep. Collins, Georgia Ninth District Force ATF to Back Off Ammo Ban

Press Release

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced the federal agency will not proceed with its planned ban of common ammunition for America's most popular rifle, the AR-15.

Congressman Doug Collins (GA09) led Georgia House Republicans to challenge the ATF's proposed regulatory framework. "The Bureau's about-face is a victory for the democratic process," he said."Georgians and their congressman were relentless in their opposition to another Administration overreach and succeeded in maintaining our Second Amendment rights."

ATF's regulations would have defined a broad class of hunting and sporting ammunition as "armor-piercing." Congress exempted such ammunition from a possible ban in 1986. "ATF re-interpreted settled law that protects both police officers and law-abiding citizens' fundamental freedoms," said Rep. Collins, a member of the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus and House Judiciary Committee. "It failed to heed Congressional intent and its own objective standards."

Responding to a deluge of public protest, including the Congressman's letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones, the arms-control agency announced yesterday that "the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework, and include issues that deserve further study. Accordingly, ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework.

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