When Bureaucrats Make “Sport” of Fundamental Liberties, Congress Must Act

In May, I discussed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ varying interpretations of the phrase “sporting purposes” in federal gun control law. We had just fought the agency to a standstill over its plan to ban the manufacture and importation of the M855 cartridge, the second most common variety of ammunition for America’s most popular rifle, the AR-15. B. Todd Jones, then director of BATFE, resigned in the aftermath of that debacle, but not before telling a Senate Appropriations Committee that with pistol platforms for the cartridge available, “any 5.56 round, it’s a challenge for officer safety, public safety.”
With statements like that, Mr. Jones will not be missed by the pro-gun community. But the attitude he displayed, and the events surrounding M855 ammunition earlier this year, point toward a more fundamental problem with federal gun control that will not go away with the tabling of one bad proposal or the departure of another BATFE official. That problem arises from two words: “sporting purposes.” …read more

Source:: NRA-ILA