5.56 mm M855 green tip rounds.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives plans to ban the 5.56 mm green tip bullets used in automatic rifles such as the AR-15 from being sold or manufactured for general public use because the rounds can pierce body armor worn by police.
ATF said the 5.56 mm M855 rounds, popularly known as "green tips", will be re-classified as armor-piercing ammunition that can penetrate bulletproof vests. Green tips are more lethal than the standard 5.56 mm rounds because they have steel penetrators that easily punch through standard police armor, said The Daily Mail.
The proposed ban means green tips will be prohibited from being sold or manufactured for civilian use. ATF hasn't revealed when the ban takes effect.
Prior to the proposed ban, 5.56 mm rounds weren't disallowed because they weren't used in handguns. Such isn't the case today, said the ATF. The bureau noted a surge in AR-15 style pistols that fire green tips.
Green tips are commonly used with the popular AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle for sporting purposes, such as target shooting, said Fox News.
Gun rights supporters in the House immediately hit out at the proposed ban. Thirty Republican House of Representatives members have signed a letter by Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte demanding the ATF explain the surprise bullet ban.
"Millions upon millions of M855 rounds have been sold and used in the US, yet ATF has not even alleged -- much less offered evidence -- that even one such round has ever been fired from the handgun at a police officer", Goodlatte wrote.
The ATF is taking public comment on the proposed ban of the commonly available green tip ammunition until March 16.
