Fellow Conservative,
This week, the Obama administration unveiled its latest gun control executive action. This executive action threatens to put thousands of American gunsmiths, and even some gun stores, out of business.
With a stroke of the pen, the administration has reclassified gunsmiths as “manufacturers” under the International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
ITAR is the regulatory regime that seeks to make sure American gun manufacturers aren’t supplying foreign warlords and terror groups with weapons. It limits what firearms components can and cannot be shipped abroad.
The Obama administration’s logic is simple, but still very stupid: Because a gunsmith can technically service international warlords, the Obama administration will regulate these mom & pop gunsmiths as if they are doing business abroad.
Most gunsmiths work out of their garage or basement. They serve their neighborhoods. They make sure that the rifle someone inherits is safe to shoot and perform the necessary adjustments to get their buddy’s rifle ready for hunting season.
This new regulation will treat them the same as international arms dealers and force these small businesses to pay thousands of dollars in licensing fees a year!
Since the news of this broke, I talked to a friend who owns a gun store with a gunsmith on premises. He explained that since they have multiple revenue streams - gun purchases, shooting lane reservations, etc – they won’t be hit too hard. His shop is lucky. They’ll just have to raise prices.
But for the gunsmiths that work out of their garage or basement workshops? “This executive order will be devastating to them,” he told me.
Being a gunsmith is, for many, just a second job. These people are primarily hobbyists who realized they can make a few bucks using their hobby to help their neighbors and friends.
Imagine waking up one morning to learn that the Obama administration has decided you need to pay an additional $2,250 in yearly fees just to stay in business.
But ultimately, this is just the latest in Obama’s attempts to drive gunsmiths and gun stores out of business.
The administration has used Operation Choke Point to lump gun stores into the same categories as escort services and marijuana dispensaries and pressure banks into not doing business with them.
This program created so many regulations that it just isn’t worth it to do business with firearm companies. Gun stores have gone out of business after being dropped by their bank and refused service by others.
The point is that this unfortunately is nothing new. The Obama regime has spent the last 8 years doing everything it can to put as many firearm businesses out-of-business.
But this latest executive action goes farther than any others. Gunsmiths will go out of business because of this. Others will have to raise their prices to make up for the fees and regulatory burdens.
If Obama can force thousands of businesses to close their doors with the stroke of a pen, do you really think he will stop there?
The unfortunate truth is that if this regulatory change is allowed to go through, any gun store or gunsmith that repairs or alters firearms will now be forced to pay thousands of dollars in fees, make themselves available to even more inspections, and operate under the same regulatory burdens as international arms merchants.
Gunsmiths are going to start going out of business. Many gun stores will stop offering gunsmith services all together. As if working with the ATF wasn’t bad enough, now these gunsmiths will have to work directly with the Department of State.
Another perfectly legal profession bites the dust under Barack Obama.
But I have good news: this isn’t final yet. Any executive order or regulatory change can be blocked by Congress.
With your help, we have succeeded in the past in getting Congress to block anti-gun regulatory changes. We blew the whistle last year on an ATF regulation that would ban an entire class of ammunition and with your help, we got Congress to force the ATF to back down.
Now is not the time to wallow in defeat. Now is the time to take the fight to them!
We need to launch a full attack here. If this regulatory change goes through, thousands of gunsmiths and gun stores will go out of business. That is a fact.
You can’t let Obama get away with this!
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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