CRIME WATCH : High-Tech Killers

Last year, an Alabama arms manufacturer caused a furor by claiming it had developed handgun ammunition capable of penetrating bulletproof vests such as those worn by law enforcement officers. As it turned out, the bullet, marketed as the Black Rhino, never made it to gun stores.

Nevertheless, the controversy--which some dismissed as nothing more than a sorry publicity stunt--uncovered a gaping loophole in a federal law designed to protect police from armor-piercing, or “cop-killer,” bullets.

A law passed by Congress and signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 prohibits the sale and manufacture of ammunition using specific materials such as tungsten or Teflon. However, it failed to anticipate other high-technology materials such as the polymers in the Black Rhino cartridges.

It was that loophole that President Clinton, speaking in a crime-scarred Chicago neighborhood last week, rightly insisted should be slammed shut under an Administration proposal to subject bullets to performance-based testing standards. “I have never seen a deer, a duck, or a wild turkey,” said the President “ . . . wearing a Kevlar vest in my life.” Indeed, “cop-killer” bullets serve no use in sport or for legitimate personal defense.

As Clinton touts his record in fighting gun extremists, it’s true that presidential politics are creeping into the debate. But how can this be a partisan issue? Who but a criminal could defend “cop-killer” bullets? For officers on the street, it’s not a matter of politics; it’s a matter of life and death.