
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 29, 1994                   TAG: 9412290112
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                  LENGTH: Medium

BULLET MAKER TO DELAY SALES

The man who says he has invented a new plastic armor-piercing bullet promised Wednesday to delay its release after criticism that criminals would get their hands on it.

David Keen's claims about the destructive power of his company's new bullets also provoked skepticism from experts. The National Rifle Association said Keen had made ``dubious claims.''

``I think it's very likely the ammunition does not perform as claimed, but whether it works or not is not the issue,'' said Robert Delfay, executive director of Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, an industry group. ``It's an irresponsible round and he should drop it.''

Keen said on the NBC ``Today'' show that he has made ``a management decision to put the Black Rhino on hold ... even if it is approved'' by federal authorities. But he was going ahead with plans for a ``Rhino-Ammo'' bullet that he says is similar, but without the Black Rhino's armor-piercing feature. ``We're seeing a change in what the law enforcement wants based upon the response that they're seeing from the public, and that is fear that the rounds will fall into the wrong hands,'' said Keen, who has reported receiving threats.

``We're going to be a responsible manufacturer,'' said Keen, who has reported receiving threats..

In a story about the bullets earlier this week, Keen said his company's Black Rhino and Rhino-Ammo bullets can create baseball-sized holes in people because of the way they fragment on impact.

``The beauty behind it is that it makes an incredible wound,'' Keen had said. ``There's no way to stop the bleeding. I don't care where it hits. They're going down for good.'' Keen, a research chemist, is chief executive of Signature Products Corp. in Huntsville, Ala.; this is the company's first foray into bullet making.

Keen said he's putting the Black Rhino on hold until ``we can see what the police officials really want.'' He said he will go ahead with .45-caliber and 9 mm versions of the other Rhino bullets. Federal approval was pending, expected in about a month.

by CNB