I just bought an armorer’s block. Guess I’m a gunsmith now
Via Robb, a stroke of the pen and law of the land as the new ITAR guidance targets small time gunsmiths. Threading barrels and owning special tooling makes you a gunsmith, subject to a couple grand in license fees.
More from the NRA.
July 28th, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Why would you want to know who every smith and machinist are? Well, who you gonna round up when the people finally revolt. Can’t have people who know how to make guns running around.
Increments.
July 28th, 2016 at 7:12 pm
I’m still reading up on this, and analyzing the rule itself, but an initial thought is that this may be intended less to go after gunsmiths (though it will certainly be used for that) and more to go after people completing 80% lowers.
It may also be used to put an end to Royal Nonesuch’s fun, and that of others.
People are noting that there is an exception for working on your own firearm, but with the muddying of the water by the recent “guidance” on sales, and the regulation regarding allowing people to use your machine shop, I have to wonder how long it will be until they try to combine the effect of these and go after someone who sells a gun they made years ago in order to make a car payment, or who borrows a buddy’s lathe, drill press, or Dremel tool, resulting in two people to prosecute.
July 28th, 2016 at 7:27 pm
Armorers block? You got a Dremel, too?
July 29th, 2016 at 8:04 am
I bet its a push to keep people from building ARs
July 29th, 2016 at 10:22 am
Well, time to start looking at the state of 3D printing technology again, I guess.
Why the government tries to stop technology from existing is a wonder to me. It won’t work, unless the goal is to allow selective prosecution.
My auto shop has tools to thread things, is it a gunsmith?
July 29th, 2016 at 11:11 am
Mikee,
Allowing selective prosecution is exactly the point. Even at a law school like UT, which is better than many or most others, some of the professors will talk about drafting overly broad laws and selectively prosecuting them being a legitimate legislative and law enforcement strategy.
July 29th, 2016 at 12:01 pm
Recall that ITAR is also used to restrict the First Amendment.
ITAR says that even if something is /your/ invention, /your/ intellectual property, the government can say who you can tell and where you can publish… if it falls under the domain of ITAR.
In fact that’s its /purpose/. ITAR is intended to prevent defense technology from going to foreign interests (without government approval). And in this case technology includes blueprints, designs, test data, instructions, training material, and so forth.
So yes it is a ridiculous abuse of a law that is intended to protect (and maintain) cutting edge defense technology.
And not say common mechanical methods that have been around for over a century and are near universally known.
But they’ll try to do it because they can.
July 29th, 2016 at 12:47 pm
As a targeted class, gun owners are far too law-abiding. This way they can make “criminals” out of more of us, because they know for certain that compliance rates will be extremely low.
The second amendment says they can’t touch this. Common sense says they can’t touch this. The concept of right and wrong says they can’t touch this. Prohibitions against depriving citizens of their rights under color of law say they can’t do this. They do it anyway, meaning they’re spoiling for a fight.
They want a fight, but they somehow don’t believe that they personally will be affected. Take down the names of those responsible for this. We know for a fact that Obama’s associates are deep into this. Eric Holder is deep into this for sure, but those working in customs, tariffs and trade who are cooperating with this band of criminals should not be left off the hook. This rogue government is actively, purposefully arming America’s enemies while using the situation as an excuse to attack us.
The sarcastic jokes we’ve made in the past about restricting lumps of steel, a lathe and a drill press, etc. as constructive possession of machineguns are becoming today’s reality. It will continue to get worse, with Republicans or with Democrats in office, until we put a stop to it ourselves. How that is to be accomplished I don’t rightly know.
July 29th, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Nice of Obama to be “helping” Hillary like this. If he gives her a little more “help” just before the election, she might melt away like the Wicked Witch of the West that she is.
July 30th, 2016 at 9:54 am
ITAR does not restrict the first amendment. Its an outline of the punitive response if you use your speech to do harm… in this case treason.
Just like the ‘you cant yell fire in a crowded theater’ argument.
You sure as hell can yell fire in a crowded theater and you damn well better… if there is a fire. We do not ban the word fire or ask people to go through a background check before they can use the word fire. BUT if you use that ‘evil assault’ word to do harm then you will be charged with a crime.
July 30th, 2016 at 10:27 pm
Dick.