Stop Obama’s Bullet Ban
By Jeff Knox
(February 25, 2015) The Obama administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or BATF, recently announced their intention to ban the manufacture, importation, and distribution of popular SS109/M855 ammunition commonly used in AR-15 type rifles, based on the construction of the projectile it uses. This ammo served as the standard issue, 5.56 x 45mm round used by the U.S. military and most NATO countries around the world. It is commonly referred to as “Green Tip” because the military puts a bit of green paint on the tip of the bullet to help soldiers easily identify it.
Since the AR platform is the single most popular rifle in the country, and M855 is one of the most common types of ammunition used in AR rifles, banning this ammo would have a significant effect on the market, by reducing ammo supply, driving up prices, and forcing the military to spend money to destroy their older stocks, rather than making money by selling it to shooters. And since the US recently transitioned to a new, slightly different loading as their primary round, designated as M855A1, being unable to sell surplus M855 and its European equivalent SS109 to U.S. consumers could become a costly problem.