Judge Upholds ATF’s Decision Banning Ammo Designed for AK-47

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge in Seattle has upheld a decision by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to ban ammunition originally designed for AK-47 assault rifles.

The decision Wednesday by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour came in a lawsuit brought by Redmond-based P.W. Arms Inc., which obtained permits to import more than 100 million rounds of the Russian- and Eastern European-made ammunition known as 7N6. When the first shipments arrived in early 2014, the ATF deemed them "armor-piercing" and barred their importation for civilian resale.

The company said the agency misinterpreted the definition of armor-piercing bullets under federal law. But the judge disagreed, saying they contain a steel core and can be fired from a handgun.

Coughenour noted that P.W. Arms never disputed the bullets can pierce body armor, and he called the company's arguments disingenuous.