Green Tip Ban: Police Rep Says Popular AR-15 Ammo Not a Threat to Law Enforcement
Matt Korovesis 03.06.15
As the deadline to submit comments to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) regarding a potential ban on a popular type of AR-15 ammo approaches, the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police has stated that the M855 “green tip” round has not been a threat to law enforcement.
Speaking with the Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard, the Fraternal Order of Police’s James Pasco said that “Any ammunition is of concern to police in the wrong hands, but this specific round has historically not posed a law enforcement problem,” continuing that M855 “is not typically used against law enforcement.”
Though Pasco also told Bedard that he was “not finding fault” with the proposal, his statement appears to be at odds with both the BATFE and the Obama administration’s justification for the ban. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest previously said the BATFE’s move was something that would enhance the safety of the nation’s law enforcement officers.
“It would be fair to say, as we are looking at additional ways to protect our brave men and women in law enforcement, and believe that this process is valuable for that reason alone,” Earnest said. “This seems to be an area where everyone should agree that if there are armor-piercing bullets that fit into easily concealed weapons, that puts our law enforcement at considerably more risk.”
Advocates of the ban claim that M855 ammunition is “armor piercing,” while detractors point out that practically any modern centerfire rifle cartridge is capable of penetrating soft armor. The National Rifle Association (NRA) dubbed the proposed regulatory changes by the BATFE a backdoor method of gun control that would only serve to reduce the availability of AR-15 ammo.
The BATFE is continuing to accept accept public comments through March 16. To help protect M855 and keep the shooting sports affordable, visit SaveM855.com.
I've been a history and gun enthusiast since I was a kid. I love to shoot just about anything, from silenced bolt-action .22s to fully automatic heavy machine guns, and I love even more when I get to write about them. My main interests are modern small arms and the military small arms of World War II and prior conflicts, with a particular focus on Russian and Finnish firearms. Reading about guns like the Mosin-Nagant rifle in books and on the internet got me interested in collecting, shooting, and writing about them, and I hope to do the same for others through my work.
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