shannon watts nra center fire ammunition ban
Shannon Watts (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

By NRA-ILA

Shannon Watts has developed her persona as a “full-time volunteer” who wants nothing more than to bring “common sense gun laws” to this country. However, she once again reminded gun owners of her true agenda with a recent tweet.

We are used to individuals misrepresenting our message to push their own political agendas, but, in this case, we thought it necessary to correct the record.

In an attempt to attack an NRA-ILA article, Watts tweeted: “They’re proud of this? ‘In response to claims that ‘armor piercing ammunition’ could penetrate police body armor, … the @NRA stepped up, once again, and performance-based ammunition bans have been repeatedly defeated at the federal level.’”

We responded by pointing out “that all centerfire rifle ammunition pierces soft body armor” and asked Watts if she wanted “to ban all rifle ammunition used for self-defense, sport, and hunting?”

Instead of answering a simple yes or no question Watts took it upon herself to delete a large number of comments on her Instagram account from individuals who just wanted a simple answer. After disabling her comments we decided to pose the question again, “Do you want to ban all rifle ammunition used for self-defense, sport, and hunting?”

Naturally, the question was not answered. Instead Watts decided to declare to her followers that “I couldn’t be more thrilled that they’re [@NRA] terrified of a middle aged mom.” Falsely claiming that the NRA encouraged its followers to threaten her.

While we certainly don’t condone making threats, we do think that someone who attacked us for our policy position should at least answer a simple question about that policy.

If she had done a bit of research, Watts would have discovered that NRA wasn’t alone in our opposition to “performance-based ammunition bans,” even ATF opposed the same legislation. In congressional hearings in 1982 and 1984, Department of the Treasury (where ATF was then located) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, Robert Powis, testified against the same bills that NRA opposed.

We’re not so sure that Watts didn’t already understand why we opposed these ammunition bans. In her tweet, the ellipsis just happened to remove the sentence where we identified the main problem with the bans: “Had they succeeded, all centerfire rifle ammunition would have been banned.”

This isn’t the first time Watts has let slip a position that even the most ardent gun control supporters would struggle to characterize as “reasonable.” Just last year, Watts was appalled that an 18-year-old could purchase a .22 bolt-action rifle because it looked scary. As we noted at the time, focusing your gun control agenda on a bolt-action rimfire because it looks scary is “a pretty sorry showing for someone whose only claim to fame is imperiously hectoring the rest of the country on the evils of guns and gun owners and pushing prohibitory firearm policies and laws.”

To answer your question Shannon, yes, we are proud of our defense of rifle ammunition that millions of law-abiding gun owners use every year for self-defense, hunting, and target shooting. Now, will you answer our question?

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55 COMMENTS

  1. Knives and arrows can pierce most vests that cops wear (soft armor without plates)…swords…spearguns…
    are we going to ban those and many more items???

    • YES!

      Of course I do! YES! YES!!

      As quickly as possible, but little bites, if necessary.

      Remember no one tells the Lobsters, when you place them in the pot, you’re turning up the heat. That way they won’t know until it’s to late! (Insert maniacal Cruella De Vil laugh here).

      Woops! Did I share you much? Oh no worries the FUDS won’t believe me anyways..

    • Well OF COURSE she wants to ban all rifle ammunition. And pistol ammunition, and arrows, and powder, and cases, and primers and . . . .

      Her and (regrettably) several hundred thousand other libtards and mentally-deficient individuals who evidently have no comprehension of the Constitution and Bill of Rights that are the foundation of this Republic.

  3. Shannon’s Sugar Daddy pays the Hysterical Mother to support banning anything and everything firearms related, for any reason or no reason at all.

    • Shannon Watts probably doesn’t even know the meaning of rimfire, centerfire, pinfire, percussion cap, flintlock, wheellock, matchlock, or anything else. Of course she doesn’t know the difference.

  4. Like all gun grabbers, she has no clue about anything she is talking about. If someone told her that people make guns out of feather dusters, she would rant about banning feather dusters.

    • This is entirely true, and has been proven. I just don’t know what to think about the people who rally to a cause they fundamentally don’t understand…except to know that you can’t ever mistake them for honest, serious people. Defend against them yes, but take them seriously, no.

  5. To describe Shannon as a volunteer is another attempt to lie about what they stand for. She is in fact a well paid lobbyist for an anti-gun Socialist.

    • +100

      Watts is a professional career liar. She has worked for the State of Missouri, Monsanto and others in their Public Relations offices…her life’s work has been lying for whoever pays her to shill for their State /corporate / personal viewpoint.

        • Possibly…however, I also have some ocean front property along coastal Montana that I can sell you for a bargain.

  6. The true face of evil. No moral compass, like so many of her ilk she is just a shill for whoever pays for her stomp her feet and be outraged.

  8. This is something we need to push as *hard* as we can.

    Force them to demand “Cop-Killer rifle ammunition” be banned. It will expose them to be the extremest nut-jobs that they actually are…

  9. Invariably, we hear of “death threats.” Has anyone actually seem any of them? Have the police brought charges, or even investigated?
    Making such a claim makes the person think they can claim the moral high ground. “See how brave I am, and see how bad these people are.”
    In truth, Watts is only seeking confirmation from her fellow travelers.

    • Well, she sure got her nose out-of-joint when Dr. Dirk Diggler doxxed her…

      *snicker* 😉

  10. Just last year, Watts was appalled that an 18-year-old could purchase a .22 bolt-action rifle because it looked scary.

    In skilled hands a good bolt-action rifle chambered in .22 LR is an incredibly lethal and effective sniper rifle at ranges up to 100 yards (assuming brain shots). I can see how that could definitely scare some people.

    Most of us immediately think of much more stout calibers such as .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, etc. as the sniper rifle calibers that we would want to employ as a last resort against tyranny. Those calibers, however, have an extremely loud noise signature which would often result in the prompt location and arrest of anyone using them in a suburban or urban setting. A rifle chambered in .22 LR, on the other hand, has minimal noise signature (and ZERO noise signature with a suppressor) and might actually be a much better choice for the operator who wishes to slip away without detection/capture.

    • Agreed. I’ve taken armadillo at that range with my 1939 Savage 6A (factory buckhorn sights). And a ‘dillo is pretty close in size to the standard human head, and has built-in body armor. 🙂

      • Heads don’t stop what they are doing and stand up to investigate if you miss. Then when hit heads do not bounce all over the place. This was with .22 and iron sights and recent retina surgery. 5.56 and a scope resulted in similar results as real head hits.

  13. No surprise there. The new liberal social media paradigm is well established. Make an unsupportable comment that can be easily refuted in any fashion by a conservative or at least Non-PC group or person, then when the response comes, make up an allegation and see to it that they are banned, blocked, or otherwise kicked off their social media account.

    Its working very well.

    Her claim of Harassment and death threats, are nothing more than an attempt to get conservatives censored.

  14. death threats is the new favorite canard of the left
    of course none of these can be proven while all the actual death threats against the president christians conservatives republicans is well documented
    not to mention the actual acts of violence perpetrated against the above named groups
    this all started after hillarys deplorables and irredeemables statement
    if the trump era has done anything its served the purpose of demasking everybody
    we now know for a fact what weve suspected for years about how the left views us
    they cant ever be allowed to come back into power

  15. Well once again the moronic media types like Shannon Watts don’t let facts get in the way of a good story. Any medium caliber centerfire rifle round will penetrate the average police duty vest. A 5.56/223 will easily will penetrate. Facts don’t matter to people with an agenda. The rest of us prefer to live in the real world where physics and science matter.

  16. I could have saved you the time on that question. It doesn’t matter what it is, when you answer the question: ‘Does Shannon Watts Want to Ban-‘ the answer is always going to be a resounding YES. The only real question is whether or not she’s being honest when she ask, or is she lying for to make herself look like a more moderate person.

    Always remember that totalitarian leftist scum like her are never satisfied with a half measure.

  17. Do you recall how the first metallic cartridges were detonated and the firing mechanism of the Volcanic and the first Winchesters? I will bet that many calibers could be converted to rim-fire. And with current metallurgy very strong cases capable of withstanding high pressure can be constructed. Some of the current .17 caliber rim-fires are fairly effective. We read about their effectiveness at 100 yards plus but see little testing of their short range capabilities.

  18. Shannon Watts wants you disarmed. She does ‘t have to be accurate about kinds of ammo or the rest: she wants it all gone, from you anyhow. (Also knives, sticks, rocks, n the hands at the end of your arms.)

    She’s careful not to say as much, but watch what she does n “do the science.”

    (For products of the modern U S educational system: “doing science” is about establishing general, descriptive, n predictive hypotheses about how the world works. You work back n forth among yr observations, a theory, and applications, honing the theory to track the others. Scientific theories, even “natural laws”, are just rules of thumb writ large, n one hopes more precisely.

    When people do something that looks dumb, you ask: What’s the theory in which this makes sense? (Also: What do they want, that makes this make sense? Former Secretary n Candidate Clinton wanted to be President. Her theory of getting that was flawed. You can’t distasteful yr way into the U S presidency. She wanted to impose her better judgment on people who didn’t think it was all that much better, or that she was concerned for them, or trust her. For her, that worked out … poorly.)

    Bloomie, thus moderate-Wattage, there, want you disarmed. It fits everything they have done, n predicts what they will do. Contra, just pulling one random example, an “Assault Weapons Ban” which did nothing about crime n violence inflicted on citizens while in force. (CDC’s study from around the same time similarly supported a different theory about armed citizens, thus was suppressed. Not science.) AWB was demonstratably not about “protecting” citizens; not their lives anyway, not their autonomy, not their preferences, but maybe about protecting them from the horrible agency of standing up for their own lives, which are their own, or living their lives in ways somebody didn’t approve, “deplorable”, though they may be. (Also, ” diversity!” but, you know, not that kind.)

    Bloomie is bothered by a world not entirely ordered to his preference. This includes you not doing only as he prefers. He forgot, or never learned, to be pleased when he encountered something he hadn’t thought of, or a different way of being. So, he’s gonna “bend the world to (his – ed) will” without Dr. Horrible’s charm or singing voice.

    If only moderate-wattage, there, were as charming or talented as Felicia Day, it might be worth watching.

    Also, stand by for their next big push, banning “Freeze Rays”, which are abiut as real a problem as tbe rest of what they try to do.

    • Not necessarily true. More accurately the people funding her want you disarmed. And they want mandatory vaccinations also. And they’ll get both, and much more, because many in the 2nd Amendment community are too stupid or too scared to see the big picture.

  19. Head shots on a stationary target at up to 500 yds +/- , even with 5.56 out of a M-16 or similar, are simple and easy for a skilled shooter. Nobody wears “face armor”.

    Bet she’d lose her mind at a ELR match. Can you say smashing pumpkins at 2 miles or more?

  20. Miss Gun Control would ban centerfield bullets period. Except for the authorities of course.

  22. We all know those deleted comments were neither thoughtful nor posted by anyone besides Dirk Diggler.

  23. This is why when the anti-gunners say they “just want a reasonable conversation” I counter that with “that’s total crap” They don’t want a conversation. Before any of those idiots do TV shows, the questions to be asked are already vetted and approved. Town Halls are a joke. Having a conversation is a joke.

    • I think we should have a conversation on common sense gun control laws. This conversation can be short an informative to those that are ignorant of the fact that our country was founded on common sense – one case in point The Second Amendment. Conversation over, now let’s go to the border and shoot invasive species. No bag limit.

  24. Shannon Watts: [insert rude comment.] Delete delete> hair π

  25. Shannon Watts is a frightened, panicked person reacting without thought or reason from a basis of ignorance. Like many Hoplophobes she has embraced this mindset and shut her mind off to anything that does not reinforce it.

    Yes, there is no such thing as a centerfire rifle cartridge that does not penetrate soft body armor. More than this there are quite a few centerfire rifle cartridges that will defeat hard body armor without the addition of a steel core. Especially with multiple impacts.

    Body armor is a good idea for police but it is hardly a case of magical protection facing off against magical attackers.

    • And body armor has different levels trading levels of protection for weight and comfort. The IIA vests worn under uniform shirts are only for protection against rim fire and low power pistol cartridges such as .25 and .32, and at minimum ranges.

      Full level II ups the protection against more normal pistol cartridges but again at minimum distances. And there are heavier protection available with ceramic or steel plates at a cost of weight and reduced mobility.

      But Shannon will use her ignorance to our detriment.

      • Dunno much about armor, the lowest level armor (2a?) – it may not stop a given bullet, but does it decrease the lethality of bullets which penetrate it? Anybody know?

  26. Don’t get confused, Shannon Watts wants ALL ammunition and all guns confiscated. There is no room in her world for guns or gun owners, she has described us as ‘cockroaches’ that need to be eradicated.

  27. Figure out how much ammo is the bare minimum for your SHTF scenario. Then acquire that amount, and stash it away. You now have zero rounds. Rebuild what you like to keep on hand like how much for going to the range, do you have 50/100/175 rounds per gun (WW2 they had 80 for the Garand, today’s M4 get’s 180) and keep rebuilding till you hit your next safe number then repeat.

    I like 1000 rounds per caliber. Just caliber, doesn’t matter how many guns I have in that caliber. At 1000 I try to get 1000 per gun. One box of ammo a week is all we ask.

  28. They’re trotting out the old “armor piercing ammo” chestnut? They must be running out of material.

    I sure hope she doesn’t find out about 6.5 Creedmoor….

  29. I thought socialists and communists would come with rifles and berets like Fidel and Che’.
    Not buying any of their crap.The police are becoming militarized,may want to look at them closer.

  30. What about all of us that load our own ammo? Do we get banned too? Did this pertinent fact enter into her limited grasp on the situation? Be carefu,l Shannon on comments you know little about because your ignorance will bite you in the end.

  33. I have attempted to debate and ask questions of her and the MDA harpies up on Twatter. They won’t answer questions and will block you if you keep pressing. Yes, all they want is you disarmed.

  34. Watts the problem Shannon? Too much time on your hands? “Busy” Mom BS – you’re too busy running your Filthy Uneducated SJW mouth. Stick to what you know – Being Stupid & “Scared” of The Truth & Reality like Most Mentally Ill SJW idiots.

  35. Another perfect example of an uneducated person controlled by fear and ignorance. Busy middle aged mom, is just a statement to attract similar types and gain personal attention, etc. The less attention we give these types the better, imo. I’m not on Instagram and never have been on Facebook, because I’ve found that in the past other public forums that I used to be involved in would frequently censor my posts, just because of one word or my opposing comments to the ignorant poster in an attempt to try an refute their ignorant statements with actual facts. So, my lack of typing skills would take up much of my time to finally hit submit and it would say, due to my content blah blah blah that my post was rejected. Even when being supportive of my states politicians positions, they would block me, so I deleted my account. I figure the best way for me is to support petitions to officials and join in with sites like this and be supportive of fellow constitutional scholars like most of the people here. I don’t feel drained or upset after visiting here and it makes me feel better knowing that there are intelligent responsible arms owners and focus on the good that happens to combat the left, by being aware and supportive of others of the same feather. Why stand on their rug and let them pull it out from under me? Stay strong and continue to educate people and especially young people to be empowered by truth and education than like those who fear monger out of deep ignorance like this woman. If she’s really receiving threats of any sort? Perhaps she needs to take some personal responsibility, invest in a weapon and take some gun safety training courses by exercising her constitutional rights instead of publicly trying to desecrate them out of ignorance and fear, stemming from the dark matter that has rooted itself in her mind and mouth and perhaps a light may turn on in her brain. Or is she just another “narcissist” ranting on a website controlled by her like minded enemies of our constitution and factual civil reality of life?
    Hmmm…

  37. When she started out on this crusade I read an article online wherein she explained her position on firearms. The article disappeared and I cannot find it on web archives either. She told though how she and her son watched the news of Aurora theater goers being shot attending a Batman movie (I think it was Batman). She talked as though they watched for hours. (note: when these sorts of things make television news it is 24 hour coverage and is nothing more than a grab for higher ratings. When a broadcast news station’s ratings climb they can, as per contracts with advertisers, charge more for advertising airtime. The only reason for the coverage is for money.)
    I recall Watts told how a day or so later took her 8 year old son to the movies to see Batman and of course it was a night showing and to her ‘shock’ the child had a panic attack! She rushed him to the psychiatrist who confirmed that indeed the lad had a panic attack. This was her impetus to start her crusade on Facebook and website (her claim). The website domain had been purchased months prior to all of this. Curious…
    I at some point sent an email to her via the website. Her email was not listed but shannonwatts @mothers . whatever worked since I received a reply to my question. I asked what the tax status was for her anti-Rights group. The reply was admonishment to never attempt to contact her again or I would be arrested as a terrorist.
    I am sure she does not care about her child or step-children, the self-proclaimed stay at home mom public relations career person but Bloombergs money is the force that drives her and the only force.
    I recently joined twitter but only use it on my PC. I tweeted this twat with a few polite questions and common sense statements and was blocked within an hour or so….
    She does not care about her son and of course she has no concern for me either and especially reviles the IRS which is where you the experts can look into her financial dealings, IRS info, and how she can accept donations for a cause she touts but has yet to reveal a strategy or plan of any sort and blocks those (me) who attempt a dialog and makes threats towards them (me again). The IRS is good at shutting down organized crime figures and I am willing to wager she collects a handsome amount which an audit can uncover while they would freeze all assets until it gets straightened out.
    I wonder if her son got over his panic attacks or is still having problems. That would be child abuse what she did. She would be nobody’s hero for that and exposed as the charlatan she is.

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