Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has joined a bipartisan group of state Attorneys General to encourage the federal government to permanently shelve a proposal to ban a popular type of ammunition used by shooting sports enthusiasts.

Caldwell and 22 other Attorneys General said in a letter to the head of the ATF that a ban on the sale of M855 5.56 x 45 mm cartridges would threaten American citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

“I am alarmed by this attempt to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of Louisianans by prohibiting the sale of ammunition widely used by target shooters.”  Caldwell said, “It is important to make sure that the plan never resurfaces. I and my colleagues across the country will keep monitoring this issue.  The ATF has indicated they will extend the deadline for comments and I encourage everyone to continue to fight the fight against this proposal by continuing your comments to the ATF opposing the ban.”

The cartridge is used in the Modern Sporting Rifle (AR-15) and is one of the most popular types of ammunition sold. ATF would be abusing its authority by banning the sale of the ammunition, the letter stated.

Caldwell and other attorneys general said that a ban, if followed to its logical end, could result in a prohibition of the sale of a wide range of other types of rifle ammunition.

Caldwell and the group emphasized that while the safety of law enforcement agents is foremost in their thoughts, there is no evidence that the ammunition poses a specific threat to officers.

Joining Caldwell in signing the letter were Attorneys General from: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

A copy of the letter can be accessed, here.