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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	March 11, 2015 10:28 AM
From:	Representative John D. Payne
To:	All House members
Subject:	Resolution urging ATF to End Ammunition Ban Framework

On Thursday, March 12, 2015, I will be introducing a resolution to address the recently announced ATF Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles Are “Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes” Within The Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(C). This is a long title which serves to confuse its actual purpose, i.e., banning ammunition which has been used for sporting purposes for decades and establishing policies to institute other bans in the future. For those of you who have seen the proposed framework, it cavalierly lumps together lawful gun owners and manufacturers with criminals when it discusses “individual consumers, whether they are law-abiding citizens or criminals”, or identifies “criminals” as “one class of potential consumer group,” or explains that “the intent of one group of potential consumers (criminals) is no more determinative than the intent of manufacturers.” Additionally, the standard which the framework would establish to determine “sporting purposes” directly conflicts with provisions in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code and the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code concerning the use of handguns for hunting and similar activities. The intent of the resolution is to let both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as Congress, know that they should scrap this proposed framework. Yesterday (March 10, 2015), the ATF has announced that it “will not at this time seek to issue a final framework.” While I applaud this pause in the pell-mell effort to put the proposed framework into place, the announcement continues by explaining that ATF is still accepting comments on the existing proposal and that its efforts to create a new “framework” are ongoing. I would ask you to join me in an effort to ensure that any new version respect both constitutional rights and federal/state statutory language.

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