In my last column regarding efforts to prevent a ban of armor-piercing M855 ammunition I stated

“Others speaking out against the ban include Sidney-based firearm and ammunition retailer Cabela’s and Grand Island ammunition maker Hornady Manufacturing Co., whose profits would apparently drop if these cop killer bullets were banned.”

I based what I wrote on an article that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald on March 2 entitled “Nebraska firms want rifle bullet ban shot down.” This article said that both Cabela’s and Hornady were opposing the ammunition ban.

The article stated that Cabela’s website said they are concerned that this ban will have “far reaching implications for shooting, hunting and outdoor enthusiasts” and had tweeted a notice to their customers to “take action against this ban.” The article said that “Hornady called the ammunition recently targeted by the ATF ‘commonplace’ and said, using language from the NRA, ‘The decision continues Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and by pass Congress.’” The article went on to say that Hornady’s website urged people to “ ‘Email or write ATF today and tell them you oppose this unnecessary, misguided and damaging ban on commonly used ammunition for America’s most popular sporting rifles.’”

I assumed that if Cabela’s was opposed to this ban they must sell this ammunition and that if Hornady was opposed they must manufacture it.  I have since confirmed that Cabela’s does in fact sell M855 armor-piercing ammunition. But I have been informed that Hornady Manufacturing Co. does not manufacture it (though according to their website they manufacture a variety of barrier-piercing handgun rounds, including one designed to pierce heavy clothing).

The World-Herald article did not explicitly state that Hornady manufactures this controversial ammunition or that Cabela’s sells it. I just assumed that if these two companies were so publicly opposed to the ban they must have a direct interest in the issue.  But since this was an assumption, I qualified my remarks with the word “apparently” rather than state as a fact that Cabela’s and Hornady’s profits would drop if this ammunition were banned. Nevertheless, I apologize to my readers for making an incorrect inference and wish to clarify that although Cabela’s sells it, Hornady Manufacturing Co. does not manufacture M855 armor-piercing ammunition.

I do, however, maintain my contention that opposing the ban on this particular type of ammunition on the broad grounds that it is an attempt to impose gun restrictions improperly diverts attention away from the very specific danger this type of ammunition poses to law enforcement officers.

I have long enjoyed target shooting and as a ten-year-old boy was so fascinated with ammunition that I badgered my mother into taking me to visit Hornady’s office in Grand Island (I still have a huge elephant-gun bullet they gave me as a souvenir). But I feel strongly that individuals, manufacturers and society have a responsibility to balance the right to hunt and target shoot with the safety of law enforcement personnel – I believe the police can be protected without imposing undue restrictions on gun users if we can stop reflexively opposing all attempts to enact reasonable legislation and instead allow common sense to prevail.

The fact that Hornady publicly opposes a ban on ammunition they don’t manufacture illustrates how proactive the firearms industry is in opposing efforts to reduce gun violence. And while I’m glad Hornady is responsible enough not to make this particular type of armor-piercing ammunition themselves, I wish the statement on their website reflected this rather than repeating rhetoric from the NRA.