AP type ammo that can be fired in a handgun was banned for sale by the 1994 crime bill. With the introduction of a new hangdun in a caliber previously available only in rifles will add that caliber to the ban list.
By definition, AP Ammo is:
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(i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or
(ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.
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Web link:
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/legal/armor.htm
This banned the importation and manufacture of steel core and AP, API, APIT ammo in .308, 7.62x39 and .223 for sale to the public. Since several companies make handguns in those calibers.
Once the ATF gets wind of this handgun, they will halt the sale of said ammo types in .50 BMG. You can still own it and buy it from private individuals, but companies like Talon or Arizona Ammo will no longer be able to make it for public sale, and dealers like Ammoman.com will not be able to sell it to non law enforcement individuals.
I think the ATF used some kind of number formula in the past to determine whether there are enough handguns in any given caliber to ban the sale of AP type ammo in that caliber, but you can bet the farm that the number of .50 BMG handguns in production that will be needed to ban the sale of .50 BMG AP ammo will be ONE. As you know the .50 BMG is on the hit list of the anti 2nd Ammendment bozos.
Th language above from Title 18, will ban the sale of:
Standard FMJ Ball loads (solid steel core)
Virtually all of the bronze machined solids (Harlow, Barnes etc.)
AP (Black Tip)*
API (Silver Tip)*
APIT (Silver and Red Tip)*
Raufoss (Green and White Tip)*
SLAP*
----------and any other ammo that meets the criteria of a steel or alloy core that .
The price of loaded .50 BMG ammo will jump from $1.50 a round to well over $5 a round since only newly manufactured bullets can be used, no more surplus bullets since they virtually all have solid steel or tungsten alloy cores.
There is a slim chance that it won't be banned since this gun is a limited production single shot bolt action handgun but don't count on it. The .50 BMG is probably the single most hated caliber out there right now.
There are handguns being offered in .30-06 from various makers, Thompson Center, Magnum Research and Savage, but the 30-06 AP ammo is specifically exempted from the ban, as is SS109 5.56mm, but for a different reason. The SS109 steel core is surrounded by lead, therefore not meeting the criteria of being constructed ENTIRELY of steel, tungsten, etc.
