Posted on 02/16/2015 1:52:38 PM PST by servo1969
The law on armor piercing projectiles has absolutely nothing to do with a projectile’s ability to pierce armor. It is ONLY defined in terms of its composition. Has a steel “core”? Yes? then it is, by definition in law, armor piercing.
The Federal Statute - "Armor-piercing ammunition is defined as any projectile or projectile core that may be used in a handgun and that is constructed ENTIRELY from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium."
ATF's decrees have not followed or is consistent with the law. They've been bullying manufacturers and sellers, and it's easier for the commercial sellers who've believed to drop the cartridges than call them on their bluffs.
It's the reason why the ATF doesn't charged anyone because it's not the law, unless it is made 100% of the hard metals listed in the law.
The word "entirely" means 100%, all, and completely made of those metals listed in the federal statute, and not 20% or 30% or 60% off - no the law says 100% as "entirely" constructed of those materials or "entirely" a combination of them.
And to add to my post that the law 8 U.S.C. § 921 deals with handgun cartridges and not rifle cartridges. The ATF wants to say the rifle round M855 is a now a handgun cartridge, which is preposterous. The M855 was and is designed as a rifle round.
You missed the “or projectile core”.
Entirely" - means 'the core' - or slug made up "entirely" or "combination" of the same hardened material listed in the law.
You know these materials - " tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium."
Considering the lack of a legal definition of “projectile core”, a differing of opinion about what it exactly entails is fair and worthy of court review.
Of course, a smart approach to that review will include “...arms shall not be infringed” to the goal of making an exact definition of “core” moot.
Yes I think you are right. The BATFE does not write law anyway. Congress does. They just issue regulations and this is a twisted contortion of the law. I don’t think it will stand the legal test.
The law is about actual AP rounds for handguns, but for rifles that’s not the case. ATF does a lot of head faking for public consumption and under Obama/Holder favor leftist groups. They have gotten the ammo manufacturers and distributors not to provide AP rifle cartridges for general public use as we don’t see them being sold at your local Walmart and other box stores. However, AP cartridges are out there for public use if you can find them. As this Youtube ammo tester shoots 7.62 Armor Piercing Incendiary API rounds as seen here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYgtv96EWB8
or
Or even HEI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SG0XoAWY70
And what??? What happened?
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