Rep. Michael Flanagan, as a freshman congressman, would have everyone believe he is a “reformer,” but it did not take long for him to buckle under and flip-flop on a “cop-killer” bullet ban proposal. As the wife of a police officer, I feel Rep. Flanagan turned his back on America’s law-enforcement community by switching his vote on this legislation.
On June 14, a cop-killer bullet ban amendment passed the House Judiciary Committee, 16-14, with the support of Rep. Flanagan. The next day, Rep. Flanagan asked for a reconsideration of the amendment. Then he switched his vote and supported an amendment that would require further study! Do we really need more charts and graphs to confirm that these bullets jeopardize the lives of cops?
The current “cop-killer” bullet ban, passed in 1986, bans armor-piercing metal bullets. But some armor-piercing ammunition has now been able to bypass the ban because it is made of plastic. The current proposal would have closed this gaping loophole.
We urge Rep. Flanagan to join with the law-enforcement community to remove these deadly bullets from our streets.
