Dear Conservative,
As the push for gun control consumed Washington, D.C. last year, Second Amendment supporters warned that the Left's end-goal was a complete registry of Americans’ firearms. Whether you like it or not, that’s what “universal background checks” are: every time a weapon changes hands, the transfer would require the Federal government’s approval.
Many law-abiding Americans prefer to avoid the background check process, not because they have something to hide, but because they would prefer that the government did not have a record of their purchases. However, a select few socialist states force their citizens to perform private gun sales through licensed firearm dealers as well, requiring background checks. In these states with universal background checks, it is nearly impossible to legally transfer a firearm without first acquiring government approval.
This has led many to seek an alternative route: building their own firearms. It is legal under Federal law to build a firearm for personal use, as long as the type of firearm is not prohibited. If you already know the intricacies of these laws, bear with me… While a firearm’s lower receiver (the part containing the trigger mechanics) requires a background check to be purchased from a dealer, it is perfectly legal to buy and sell 80% partial receivers without any background check at all. An 80% lower receiver is just what the name implies. The firearm is 80% completed and the user must complete the final 20% of machining before it can become a functional weapon. Without that last bit of work, the item is nothing but a paper weight in the shape of a gun.
As far as the law is concerned, these 80% receivers are not weapons. They are just pieces of metal or plastic. The government cannot regulate them because they are not legally firearms. However, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has begun going after individuals who sell and buy these legal, unregulated items anyway! On March 15, the ATF raided a manufacturer of these partial receivers and seized the company’s stock and client list. Once they are done destroying the business, they will go after the law abiding gun owners, even though they committed no crime!
Tell Congress to STOP the ATF from abusing its authority and targeting law-abiding gun owners!
The intricacies of firearm laws are pretty convoluted, but the general rule of thumb is that in order for something to be a firearm, it must be capable of performing a firearm's function in its current state.
If an object cannot function as a firearm, then it is nothing but a piece of metal or plastic. This difference is important because even the simplest of items can be transformed into a firearm. A Vermont man even famously made an AK-47 variant firearm out of a rusty shovel.
If the government can ban and regulate the materials required to create a firearm from scratch, then they could regulate everything... And that is just what they are doing.
Barack Obama's administration wants to know every detail of your life. Obama's NSA wants to know who you talk to, his IRS wants to know which candidates you donate to, and now the ATF wants to know what firearms you are purchasing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives originally tried to seize the inventory and client list of a manufacturer in California named Ares Armor. Even though the company was only manufacturing 80% lower receivers, the ATF claimed that it was illegally selling firearms. When they tried to seize the merchandise and client list, Ares Armor was able to get a temporary restraining order from a judge.
The judge ordered the two parties to cease contact until a hearing on March 20th. While Ares Armor was confident they had bought themselves a little time, the ATF then went behind their back and received an ex parte order from the judge - an order obtained without notice to the other party - which authorized them to forcefully raid the store and seize merchandise and client lists.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will not rest until it has complete control over the nation's firearm purchases. Now that they have raided this store and stolen the client list, there is nothing stopping them from coming after law abiding gun owners who committed no crimes.
Tell Congress to STOP the ATF from abusing its authority and targeting law-abiding gun owners!
This is essentially a liberty issue. How long are we going to allow abusive agencies like the ATF to incrementally increase their power? The idea of individuals building their own firearms without first informing the government terrifies the Obama administration, so much so that they are trying to illegally change the definition of what constitutes a firearm!
The ATF lied to the judge who lifted the restraining order. They stated that Ares Armor was illegally manufacturing firearms. This past August, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced H.R. 2910, the interestingly-titled “Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Act” and if that bill had been signed into law, then these 80% lowers would be reclassified as firearms. But… the bill didn’t pass. It didn’t even make it out of committee.
Just as the Obama administration has decided to legislate from the Oval Office, Obama’s ATF has decided to illegally alter the law to redefine harmless pieces of metal and plastic as firearms. If left unchecked, then the ATF could go after you for possessing anything that could possibly be turned into a firearm.
Yes, this is a slippery slope argument, but I urge you to wake up and realize that we are already sliding down the slope!
The Second Amendment wasn’t designed to protect hunters or sportsmen… the only things that the Second Amendment truly authorizes you to hunt are tyrannical politicians! And the Democrats and RINOs realize this. These career politicians realize that they are dangerously close to being forcibly removed from office. Universal background checks allow for the government to maintain a database of Americans’ gun sales/purchases and the idea that someone could manufacture a firearm on their own absolutely terrifies them!
If you believe that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” and you hate how the Obama administration continues to unconstitutionally grow its power, I urge you to tell Congress to stop the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive’s abusive targeting program! The government has no right to keep a record of what firearms Americans purchase!
Tell Congress to STOP the ATF from abusing its authority and targeting law-abiding gun owners!
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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