Seems to me that the BATF is flailing about trying to hang on to their ever decreasing control over a bloated, rudderless agency that is taking on water. Time to turn up the heat a notch.
Hopefully it bites them in the butt. They caught a lot of flak for the proposal, if they rework a new proposal of a caliber ban, which they have even less power to do since 5.56 as a whole is not just removing an exemption, its flat out defying Federal law.
As long as Congress doesn't allow it to happen, but ATF tries anyways, it could be the final nail for our beloved bureau, or at least garner more support to disband them.