Posted on 09/04/2016 6:02:55 AM PDT by marktwain
In June of 2016, the ATF announced that nitrocellulose, including nitrocellulose wetted with water or alcohol, would be considered a high explosive. This change in regulation was simply announced in the June ATF EXPLOSIVES Industry Newsletter, without a comment period or any previous consideration.
This change had a potentially devastating effect on ammunition manufacturers and manufacturers of smokeless gunpowder. If the ruling was upheld, it would have required enormous changes in gunpowder manufacture, making ammunition significantly more expensive, and likely halting the manufacture of smokeless gunpowder for a considerable period while changes to existing procedures were worked out, tested, and applied to the manufacturing process.
Astute people in the industry noticed and started to sound the alarm. It is not surprising that people are on the edge of alarm during the final months of the Obama administration, as the administration has shown an alarming tendency to ignore both Congress and the courts. The ATF sought to put the issue to rest yesterday, 31 August. It issued an update stating that the status of previously authorized industry practices will not be affected for some period. From the update:
Subsequent contact from industry members who import, transport, store or employ wetted Nitrocellulose in the production of ammunition, however, has brought to our attention that were not fully addressed in the Newsletter and require further consultation and consideration with the industry. Accordingly, ATF has and will conduct further industry outreach concerning wetted Nitrocellulose. In the interim, previously authorized industry practices concerning wetted Nitrocellulose will not be affected.
This appears to have been an oversight on the part of the ATF; someone likely made a mistake, not knowing the consequences of their actions.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
Either an error or a trial balloon.
I would make a guess that one single ammo company got their inside guy to make the purchase request and they were the only company ready to sell the product immediately.
Mistake my ass.
They decided not to rile a bunch of gun nuts up until after the election.
You can bet your bottom dollar that it's still coming.
The error is that they meant to announce it November 9. They were just early.
Whatever the excuse, it confirms their vile ultimate objectives.
Notice the BATFE didn’t rescind the flawed change order.
They just delayed implementation “for some period”.
So it sits on the back burner where they can use it any time they want to burn someone and can’t make some other charge stick.
I’ll take trial balloon for $500 Alex. The ATF never does anything by accident. More likely somebody like ATK who owns CCI and Federal told them no ammo for the public no ammo for the govt.
A good question would be why any change would be necessary in the first place, unless it was in fact to suppress the manufacturing of ammunition.
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FEDERAL_REGISTER&p_id=19509
SUMMARY: OSHA proposes to revise the explosives and blasting agents standard in subpart H of part 1910. This revision of Sec. 1910.109 is intended to enhance the protections provided to employees engaged in the manufacture, storage, sale, transportation, handling, and use of explosives. The proposal updates and clarifies the regulatory language, addresses regulatory inconsistencies between OSHA and other Federal agencies, incorporates updated consensus standards, and provides the regulated community with greater compliance flexibility.
Explosive--any chemical compound, mixture, or device, the primary or common purpose of which is to function by explosion, i.e., with substantially instantaneous release of gas and heat, unless such compound, mixture, or device is otherwise specifically classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation; see 49 CFR chapter I. The term "explosives" shall include all material which is classified as Class A, Class B, and Class C explosives by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and includes, but is not limited to dynamite, black powder, pellet powders, initiating explosives, blasting caps, electric blasting caps, safety fuse, fuse lighters, fuse igniters, squibs, cordeau detonant fuse, instantaneous fuse, igniter cord, igniters, small arms ammunition, small arms ammunition primers, smokeless propellant, cartridges for propellant-actuated power devices, and cartridges for industrial guns. Commercial explosives are those explosives which are intended to be used in commercial or industrial operations.
Having propellant-actuated power devices listed as explosives would have placed the explosive regulations for transport and storage on Hilti and Ramset gun cartridges. That would have affected all hardware stores and lumber yards.
I guess that the government got the final delivery of the billions of rounds that all the departments ordered during the last coup’la years, so now they can cut off the supplies for the unwashed.
+1 Sounds like a winner.
Their only error was getting caught.
Bull.
They wanted to get it into “unpassed rules” as quietly as possible, THEN react and outlaw the ammunition already manufactured and sold and transported “illegally” ...
Which would be a classic example of crony capitalism.
Agreed. They reserve the right to implement it later, while looking like they’ve actually withdrawn it.
Attack the supply chain. Squeezing businessmen out is a whole lot safer than direct confiscation. RKBA has a tough time if people can’t buy, fix, or feed guns.
When is our side going to make a hard push for overturning these chronic incremental infringements?
Lots of oversight.
Not a mistake.
They knew precisely what the consequences would be.
Nothin’ but the best and brightest there, I tell you.
*Ping*
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