Well, this isn’t going well for the Washington Post’s Stephen Stromberg who has a piece today on the NRA and its opposition to the proposed ATF ban on M855 ammunition.
Here’s Bob Owens from our sister outlet Bearing Arms with what’s turned into an epic fact-check of Stromberg’s entire story. First up, the caption on the photo accompanying the article was wrong:
.@washingtonpost, your photo caption here is laughably wrong. http://t.co/0uKXpMNHTs This is NOT M855 ammo, but high-end target ammo. #2A
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
But so is much of the rest of what Stromberg wrote:
Of course, @washingtonpost's photo glitch is as inaccurate as @strombergsteve's accompanying article, which is equally dishonest.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
As in, the concealable nature of an AR-15 handgun:
How "small and concealable" is a gun that is 2" square and weighs 5 lbs, @strombergsteve?
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Or the specs of the ammunition in question:
Moreover @strombergsteve, neither LEOPA '86 9as written) nor the military define M855 as armor-piercing.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
As a matter of ballistic fact @strombergsteve, M855 is about the least damaging bullet you can fire from an AR-15 pistol.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
We adopted the M855 in the 1970s, @strombergsteve, because NATO thought the solid lead core bullets did too much damage and were "inhumane."
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
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By the way, the NRA was ENTIRELY right, @strombergsteve. B.Todd Jones just came out and said all 5.56 was "armor-piercing." You're gullible.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
The #M855 "icepicks," @strombergsteve. Here's a video. Educate yourself. https://t.co/K4hvSH9Est
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
And here comes the science:
You see, @strombergsteve, almost all centerfire rifle bullets will easily penetrate vests designed to stop pistol bullets. It's physics.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
You see, @strombergsteve most soft armor is designed to stop pistol bullets going 800-1,200 FPS. Rifle bullets go more than 2X that fast
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Facts matter, too:
You also forgot to mention, @strombergsteve, that the FOP said #M855 simply wasn't an issue.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Do you know how many LEOs have been killed by #M855 fired through a vest by an AR-15 pistol in U.S. history, @strombergsteve?
ZERO.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Anyone who ACTUALLY understands the issue, @strombergsteve, knows that Obama went after #M855 out of spite.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Anyone who ACTUALLY understands the issue, @strombergsteve, knows that #M855 is one of the most common training rounds.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
You've established yourself as a wonderful apologist, @strombergsteve. It's too bad you lack the gravitas to write about firearms.
— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) March 13, 2015
Heck, it’s not even about gravitas — it’s about understanding the basics. Can’t the Washington Post find a single writer that knows guns just a little big better?
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Chuck Woolery: Proposed ammo ban will eventually leave us stuck #FightingWithRocks
Sen. Richard Blumenthal helps introduce #SayNo2MoreAmmo ‘assault magazine’ ban
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