Kurt Hoffman: ATF requiring license for renting out tooling, offering instruction?

Last Monday, we looked at the previous Friday's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raid on EP Armory, in Bakersfield, California. EP Armory is best known for the "80%" AR-15 lower receivers it sells, especially (and most directly related to the current situation) their Kevlar-reinforced polymer models, that by virtue of using differently colored material to distinguish what needs to be removed by drilling and/or milling from that which is to be left behind, makes the operation pretty straightforward, even without using jigs to guide the process.

Another California business concern, Ares Armor (discussed here last Friday), was also raided by the ATF this past weekend at its locations in Oceanside and National City (both in California), when the temporary restraining order Ares had managed to have served against the ATF proved to be very temporary. Ares is a retailer, and stocks the polymer 80% receivers made by EP Armory.

These raids have been extensively and expertly covered by National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea (Court restrains ATF from seizing Ares Armor inventory and customer records, ATF accuses Ares Armor of illegal gun sales in response to restraining order and Warrant application shows Ares Armor referenced in wider investigation) and Seattle Gun Rights Examiner Dave Workman (California gun parts supplier fights ATF over customer’s names, Allegations fly in California gun parts case and California’s Ares Armor raided, owner vows to stay in business).

(snip)

 Get that? Without manufacturing or selling anything that can be considered a firearm under the law, one must, according to the BATFE, still be licensed as a gun dealer before offering access to the tools, and providing instruction in the process of completing an 80% receiver. There is, of course, precisely nothing in any federal statute that would impose such a requirement--the BATFE is making it up from whole cloth.

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