Free Republic

The United States District Court, Southern District of California on Wednesday granted a joint motion filed earlier in the day by attorneys for Ares Armor and the Department of Justice. The order vacated as moot a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Thursday, vacated the Temporary Restraining Order issued on March 11 (and the modification issued on March 14), and affirmed Ares Armor’s rights to file an amended complaint and to seek further injunctive relief. “In consideration of the specific injunctive relief requested by the [temporary restraining order obtained by Ares Armor on March 11] to prevent the seizure of the...

SAN DIEGO – With a search warrant in hand, federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confiscated computers, customer lists and the questionable polymer 80 percent lower receivers from four Ares Armor store locations throughout San Diego County over the weekend. “There were women and children inside our retail establishment when the (ATF) agents came in with guns drawn,” said Ares Armor Executive Officer Dimitrios Karras. “They came into our firearms manufacturing facility saying, ‘Arms up!’  like they were invading Iraq.” The raid happened three days after Ares owner was granted a temporary restraining by a...

I have been trying to make sense of the current chaos involving EPArmory 80% lowers, the BATFE, and Aries Armor.   Kilbreaux at the eparmory.com forum has some cogent analysis: Of course I wonder just what IF anything the ATF can do in terms of retrieving receivers from customers. First, a significant number of receivers had to be OTC, cash sales…no way to track those people down. For the CC internet customers, so they find out who they are…how do they prove the parts received were manufactured in such a manner as to be considered a firearm? Assuming they even...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives filed a motion Monday morning in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, in opposition to Ares Armor’s motion for temporary restraining order, adding to a developing story that unfolded dramatically over the weekend with raids on the gun parts distributor’s facilities. The initial TRO was ordered last Tuesday. The government justifies its position claiming they are “conducting a lawful criminal investigation of the illegal manufacture, distribution, sale and possession of AK-15 [sic] variant lower receivers, which are considered firearms under the Firearms Control Act...” Such an assumption is not...

As gun sales skyrocket across the country, an Oceanside shop that let’s you build your own guns says its business is booming too. Ares Armor offers gun enthusiasts a novel way to exercise their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. “Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, an individual can make a weapon for personal use, but not for sale or distribution,” said Ares Armor owner Dimitrios Karras. It’s legal and his business is through the roof. “We are flooded with orders right now,” he said. Ares Armor allows customers to buy all the parts needed to build a weapon....

Southern California gun parts and accessory dealer Ares Armor continues to inform customers and supporters as to the status of its operations following yesterday’s raid by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Ares Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Tuma posted an update Saturday evening to his Instagram account where he first posted the news yesterday afternoon that “ATF is currently executing search warrants on all of our locations.” “We will be burning the midnight oil to assure we are fully operational by morning and that business goes on as uninterrupted as possible,” Tuma stated in last night’s message. Per...

Gun store owner refuses to give feds customer list OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The owner of an Oceanside store that sells various gun parts to build a rifle from scratch refused to turn over his customer list to federal agents. Dimitrios Karras, owner of Ares Armor, said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were investigating their business, not for what they sell, but for the people who purchase their products. Karras said the ATF threatened to shutter their business if they didn’t hand over the names of 5,000 customers who have purchased an 80 percent lower receiver (the...

We’ve always said that a restraining order is just a piece of paper. Usually we’re referring to defensive gun uses when we say that. However, in this case we have the government violating a restraining order issued by… the government. As we reported earlier this week, the ATF has demanded that Ares Armor, along with some other vendors, turn over their customer records in relation to an 80% lower that may have actually been a firearm under law. Ares agreed to stop selling the product in question as well as turn over their stock to the ATF, however they refused...

This video was taken 3/15/14 @ around 1250 @ the National City Ares Armor location

The owner of a California store that sells gun parts to build rifles from scratch is refusing to turn over his customer list to federal officials. Dimitrios Karras, owner of Ares Armor in Oceanside, told Fox5SanDiego.com that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents are investigating his business because it sells AR-15 lower receivers, which contain the gun’s operating parts. The company sold thousands of 80 percent receivers in with colors showing where the customer can drill, making it easier and cheaper to build. The ATF said the sales are illegal and demanded the company turn over the products...