This bill — known as the ATF Wrongful Reclassification Act — would prevent the Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms (ATF) from reclassifying certain types of ammunition as being “armor piercing.” It would modify the U.S. Code so that ammunition could only be reclassified as armor piercing if the manufacturer designs and intends the ammo to be used in a handgun, rather than reclassification being allowed if ammunition “may be used in a handgun.” It would also change the portion of the code allowing handgun ammo to be banned unless it’s for “sporting purposes” to “lawful purposes.”
What is House Bill H.R. 2097?
Impact
Buyers of ammunition that would be subject to the ATF’s armor piercing ban; and the ATF.
Cost of House Bill H.R. 2097
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
More Information
In-Depth: This bill was introduced in response to actions the ATF considered taking during the Obama administration related to M855 ammunition, which is commonly used in AR-15 rifles but can also be used in AR-15 pistols.
In 1986, M855 rounds were exempted from the armor piercing ammunition ban that applies to handguns, but in February 2015 the ATF released a proposed regulatory framework that would ban the rounds. The ATF ended the process in March 2015 after 80,000 public comments were received, “the vast majority of the comments received to date were critical of the framework.”
This legislation has the support of three Republican cosponsors in the House.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: U.S. Government / Public Domain)AKA
ATF Wrongful Reclassification Act
Official Title
To prevent the reclassification of certain ammunition as armor piercing ammunition.
bill Progress
- Not enactedThe President has not signed this bill
- The senate has not voted
- The house has not voted
- house Committees
Committee on the JudiciaryCrime, Terrorism and Homeland SecurityIntroducedApril 14th, 2017
Guns
Crime & Police
Federal Agencies
