The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received a letter this week signed by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and 22 other state attorneys general urging the bureau to permanently shelf a proposed ban on a certain type of ammunition.
Fox said the proposal would ban M855 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition. The ATF halted discussion on the proposal on March 10 after facing significant opposition, some of it coming from law enforcement.
“The proposed ban doesn’t belong on the shelf; it belongs in the shredder,” Fox said.
The ATF continued to accept public comment on the proposed ban until the close of business on Monday. Fox said the attorneys general argued the ban is “arbitrary, unnecessary and could easily lead to bans on a wide range of rifle ammunition.”
The attorneys general wrote in their respective positions that they work directly with several local, state, tribal and federal 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 letter said. “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.”
Other states with attorneys general who signed the letter: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.