This agency has gone far, far beyond its original charter. IIRC it was tariff based.
Good title - “power” not “authority”. ATF has no authority to interpret their regulations this way, it’s a power grab and has nothing to do with legitimate government authority.
Bureoucracies should be bureaucracies...
Another example of the stealth government of bureaucracies inhabited by faceless bureaucrats, and an elected government abandoning their powers to them.
It is long past time to repeal the NFA ‘34 and GCA ‘68 and the FOPA ‘86. Take the “F” out of their jurisdiction entirely.
I wonder if this is a means kill the unfinished receiver market. Finishing can normally be done with very simple tools but in some cases not. Im not seeing how all this works but Im quite sure the ATF and pols in general don’t look happily on this as no records have to be kept and Im sure many many are sold every year.
Some rules are really bizarre. For instance, you can buy a US manufactured snub nosed revolver, no problem. However, a company like EAA sends the over with sights and shroud at 2”. Due to import regulations, the barrel is 4”. It’s crudely cut down to size upon arrival. Out of ammo and don’t have time to reload? No problem. The barrel crown and rim are both razor sharp.
Yep - they keep criminalizing more folks while thy're at it though.
They would not be “in the business of manufacturing firearms,” they would be “in the business of making machine tools available to the general public.” They perform a service, not manufacture a product. Suffice it to say I disagree with the BATFE’s position, it’s overreach.
If I rent out my drill press, I’m not under any obligation to scrutinize the customer’s work.
Bump.
The article doesn’t mention the considerable cost of registering your shop with the atf. I own a manufacturing machine shop and when I investigated making parts for firearms it was reasonable pre Obama. After the “under the radar” reign it went upwards 10 times what it was. I never applied. Now, the ATF sends their little goons to “take a look around,” every year or so (they are rudely sent away) and they send undercover walk in goons to ask if they can rent my shop to complete receivers. More frightening is these Obamagencies are just seizing this power out of thin air.
Not long after the decision in Raich, the Court vacated a lower court decision in United States v. Stewart and remanded it to the court of appeals for reconsideration in light of Raich. In Stewart, the Ninth Circuit had held that Congress lacked the Commerce Clause power to criminalize the possession of homemade machine guns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich