Posted on 03/10/2014 8:59:22 AM PDT by marktwain
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided EP Armory, in Bakersfield, California Friday, along with owner Chris Cook's home. Details at this point are still very thin, but Cook says that agents indicated that they are looking for "illegal guns." From ABC 23 News:
The ATF was not able to provide information on the on-going investigation. Grahm Barlowe with the ATF declined to comment on why the store was targeted or exactly what agents were looking for.
Cook said agents told him they were looking for illegal firearms.
EP Armory is known mostly for its innovative "80% complete" AR-15 receivers. Such receivers, by virtue of still needing some machining in order to serve as the foundation of a firearm, are, legally speaking, just an inert hunk of metal--or in this case, strong (Kevlar-reinforced) polymer. That means they can be legally sold to anyone, without background checks, without the necessity of a serial number, without a requirement for records--almost as if there were a Constitutional amendment stating that by the absolute law of the land, we the people have a right to arms--a right that shall not be infringed.
One of the innovative features of EP Armory's receivers is that the machining can be done without a drill press or milling machine, or even a jig. By using different color polymers for the portions that are to be milled away, a drill and a Dremel can be all that is needed to convert a hunk of plastic into Congressman Henry Waxman's (D-CA) nightmare (see sidebar video for the process).
It should be noted that the BATFE arrested no one, and in fact eventually permitted EP Armory to re-open later Friday, although they confiscated Cook's files, laptop, cell phone
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
“... I’m sure gonna order a couple now ...”
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“... Almost every product they have is sold out ...”
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Several times, I have gotten the urge to get one and try it
to see if I had the required skills to complete the task,
but every time I get the urge, I find out they are out of stock.
Bingo. I mean, "gin!"
A purely pretextual raid. Gonna build those registration lists, one way or another.
In the case of an AR, the serial numbered part is the lower receiver.
Three, one with phony data so the enforcers go away with the belief they got something good.
Just look at Fast & Furious!
I guess they have successfully disarmed 100% of the criminals and terrorists, so they have the time to do this...
I’m sure the BATF really hates that someone is “getting around the law” with the 80% complete receivers.
But, it’s actually complying with the law, and legally they can do nothing about it. As we see here, though, they disregard the law and punish the manufacturer anyway.
You can bet that democrips in the House and ‘Sin’ate are already working on wording to close the ‘loopholes’.
I don’t think thugs are as worried about criminals and terrorists as they are about decent people. Hard-working Americans are difficult to control, especially if they are armed.
Fortunately for those in power, I swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. So long as FedGov follows the Constitution, they have nothing to worry about from peaceful, law-abiding Americans, armed or not.
80% polymer lowers, which EP produces, are much easier to finish than the normal aluminum lower. Polymer lowers are color marked to make the finishing process easier and can be done with a dremel. Here is a video which shows one such build.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxcSlOVeXlQ
On site vendors and gunsmiths then assist the hobbyist in final assembly.
The radio ad said you can put anything you want on it except a serial number. These weapons are legal provided they stay in the hands of the builder. They cannot be sold or given away.
I hope this answers your question.
I have been following the 80% receiver story for several years. There have been 5 or 6 80% receiver manufacturers raided during that time.
I am not aware of any of them who have ended up in jail, but every one of them were broken financially with the cost of defending themselves, not to mention seizing all their inventory, freezing their bank accounts, etc. And yes, the BATF does get the sales records and has notified the people with “illegal” 80% receivers to turn them it. I wonder how many did.
Most of the 80% receiver manufacturers have exited the business in an agreement with the BATF to get the BATF off their back (I can only remember one that is still in business and he seems to be a stubborn cuss). I am thinking that is what the intent was all along.
They don’t have to send you to jail. All they have to do is break you financially to get what they want. With the full power of the Federal Government behind them, that is childs play.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e2d2d17b77c74c23aed2310be8703075/CA—Homemade-Guns-Arrests
This might explain the purpose of the raid.
A good reason to pay cash and opt not to provide a name when purchasing.
Within days of registering my LLC as a machine shop two ATF goons stopped by because “they heard” I was making guns and wanted to look around. That was convenient, wasn’t it. I told them they need to present a warrant or leave immediately. They didn’t like that. I am sure they are working on it.
By the way I do not manufacture anything related to firearms.
Take a look at what is going on around you. You and your fellow citizen are subject to a full search every time you get on an airliner. That's freedom?
How about the terrorism of the IRS? You should listen to the replay of Mark Steyn on Rush today. They are auditing people who they suspect might be cheating. That's for their 2013 returns that aren't even due yet, and haven't been filed. They reveal taxpayer information for political purposes. They block right wing groups from tax exempt status.
The NSA is recording everything. Why?
The EPA fines people thousands of dollars a day for "misusing" wetlands. Guess who designates the wetlands? This same agency thinks they can legislate gas mileage and is bent on destroying the coal industry.
Even NASA is no longer really an agency interested in following its mandate. It is charged with fighting "global warming" and furthering muslim outreach.
The energy department does not produce a single barrel of oil, it hinders energy production. The education department spends billions and the children are less educated than ever. The agriculture department is engaged, primarily, in distributing food to the "needy". Is the present justice department actually meting out justice?
Your government is out of control. It is engaged in terrorizing the very citizens it is supposed to serve. If the USA as a fascist state hasn't arrived yet, it is well on it's way.
Sorry, friend, I'm in a dark mood today. The great democratic republic that the free and unfree people of the world looked to as a shining beacon is gone. America is no longer the home of the free. The world is worse off for it.
This is news to me. Are you talking about the businesses who were renting time on their CNC machines to finish 80% receivers to 100%, or are you talking about people who manufacture shaped hunks of aluminum alloy with some holes in them?
The ATF should just be disbanded. They’re a bunch of jackbooted thugs and I’ve never heard tell of anything good coming from ‘em.
ATF actually does some great work prosecuting habitual firearm offenders among thr gangbangers and drug trafficers....applying stiffer federal penalties with superior expertise in federal courts.I still think the ATF should be disbanded. We can give over that work to the FBI, along with any (probably few) ATF agents that are actually worth their salt.
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