The Obama administration has put the brakes on its plans to ban a popular type of rifle ammunition after an onslaught of criticism from both the public and lawmakers . 'You spoke , we listened , ' the agency said Tuesday afternoon on Twitter . The Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives says the agency received more than 80,000 public comments on the proposal to outlaw some types of 5.56 mm rounds – also known as .223 caliber ammunition . The agency said Tuesday that comments ran overwhelmingly against the proposal , which it first floated in February . The ammunition targeted by the ATF is commonly known as 'green-tip ' because of its distinctive appearance . GREEN-TIP : The popular rifle ammunition is no longer being targeted for extinction by the ATF . Hunters and target shooters use the bullets , primarily in AR-15-style rifles like this one , but the ammo could travel fast enough from a handgun to pierce a police officer 's body armor . UNCLE : The ATF decided Tuesday that it could n't withstand an onslaught from legislators and the public . 'Although ATF endeavored to create a proposal that reflected a good faith interpretation of the law and balanced the interests of law enforcement , industry , and sportsmen , the vast majority of the comments received to date are critical of the framework , and include issues that deserve further study , ' the agency said in a press release . 'Accordingly , ATF will not at this time seek to issue a final framework . ' That carefully parsed language leaves open the possibility that the government could revive the idea in the future . The ATF plans to keep collecting comments until March 16 . Hundreds of lawmakers , including 52 U.S. senators , also objected . The ATF had proposed banning the ammunition , most commonly used in the popular AR-15-style rifles , because they could potentially penetrate a police officer 's protective vest if fired from a handgun instead . The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act banned armor-piercing handgun ammunition in 1986 . Green-tip ammo has long been exempt because it 's primarily used in hunting and target-shooting rifles . The ATF 's proposal would have removed that exemption , effectively banning its sale in the United States . Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte took a rhetorical victory lap on Tuesday from his perch as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee . 'After much pressure from a large , bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives , I am pleased that the Obama Administration has abandoned its attack on the Second Amendment , ' Goodlatte said in a statement . 'It is entirely inappropriate for President Obama to stretch his regulatory authority to implement partisan policies that Congress has refused to enact , ' he added . 'Such an abuse of power would impact many law-abiding gun owners and restrict the American people 's ability to legally and responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights . ' Last week Goodlatte and 238 other House members , including seven Democrats , sent a verbal stop sign to the ATF . 'Under no circumstances should ATF adopt a standard that will ban ammunition that is overwhelmingly used by law-abiding Americans for legitimate purposes , ' the lawmakers wrote to ATF Director B. Todd Jones . On Monday a group of 53 Republican senators complained in a similar letter to Jones that efforts to respect the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – which protects the 'right to bear arms ' – 'require not only access to firearms , but to bullets . ' 'If law-abiding gun owners can not obtain rifle ammunition , or face substantial difficulty in finding ammunition available and at reasonable prices because government entities are banning such ammunition , then the Second Amendment is at risk , ' they claimed . Only one GOP senator , Mark Kirk of Illinois , chose not to sign the letter . He faces a brutal re-election fight next year in a blue state where gun control advocates have a strong presence . The National Rifle Association also claimed victory on Tuesday . 'VAST MAJORITY OF THE COMMENTS ... ARE CRITICAL ' : ATF 's message to Americans admitted that hardly anyone supported them . The Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives ( ATF ) is a Justice Department agency in charge of regulating access to a wide variety of materials . Rifle owners complained that without the green-tip ammo , their guns could become useless overnight . 'Today 's announcement proves what we have said all along – this was 100 % political , ' NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said in a statement . 'President Obama failed to pass gun control through Congress , so he tried impose his political agenda through executive fiat . But every gun owner in America needs to understand Barack Obama 's hatred of the Second Amendment has not changed . ' The nation 's largest gun-rights group is preparing for its annual convention next month in Nashville , Tennessee , where potential presidential candidates including former Texas Gov . Rick Perry , Texas Sen. Ted Cruz , former FLorida Gov . Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker will rally thousands of the Second Amendment lobby 's backers . The controversy has also brought a legislative brickbat out of the House , with Florida Republican Rep. Tom Rooney introducing the Protecting Second Amendment Rights Act . That bill proposed to generally limit the ATF 's power to regulate ammunition . Speaking of Tuesday 's resolution , Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady said : 'This was way out of step with reality and I ’ m glad it ’ s over . '
'Green-tip ' bullets were oni the endangered list as ATF wanted to remove its exemption from a federal law that protects police officers . It 's mostly used in hunters and target shooting rifles , but could pierce body armor if it 's fired through a handgun . 53 senators and 239 National Rifle Association members – including seven Democrats – signed protest letters to the ATF 's director . ATF gave in , saying it would shelve the proposal . House called it a polical plan .