First of all, I will be 76 years old this year. I am a retired Police Chief, a retired Light Infantry Senior NCO and a retired GS-12 Fed employee. After the third retirement, I bought a honking big Ford dually and delivered travel trailers from the manufacturers in northern Indiana and delivered them all over the US and Western Canada with my wife.
On topic, I have been sworn my entire life to honor, support and defend our Constitution. What the BATFE (and really big fires) is doing in my opinion (along with literally MILLIONS of others) is unconstitutional. This needs to be stopped now and while we are at it, it is time eliminate the National Firearm Act of 1934.
Some history. The NFA was written by the Franklin Roosevelt administration. This was during the great depression, unemployment was astronomical and prohibition, the Federal law banning sales, possession and manufacturer of all alcohol had been against Federal law had just been ended by the 21st Amendment of the US Constitution.
As you can imagine, the demand for alcohol during that period was sky high and making booze was actually pretty easy. Moonshiners had been in existence longer than we have been a country so the art was well known and suddenly the availability of booze was greatly enhanced by thousands of moonshiner newbies.
Because the government had banned alcohol (and couldn’t stand missing all those Federal taxes) they formed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and hired thousands of Special Agents (but known as revenooers) under the Treasury Department to enforce the alcohol laws and ensure Federal taxes were paid on tobacco products and now, the reemerging alcohol industry.
But no where near as many revenooers were now needed and there was going to be a giant permanent layoff . What to do?
Because of prohibition and the depression there was rampant crime in America including syndicated gangsters running booze and roving bandit gangs robbing banks and killing cops and innocent bystanders.
Ever heard the term "never let a good crisis go to waste? The democrats were leading the country so they solved the problem by writing the National Firearm Act and putting certain types of weapons as prohibited unless you paid for a Tax Stamp after differing in order to legally own that weapon and you had to have a federal license to sell guns,
This, in the Democrat mind, solved two crises; it kept all those (now) ATF agents employed, it would end all American crime (baHahahaha) and special bonus (!) a new income stream coming into Treasury.
Lot more history here but always remember the ATF are just tax collectors. They murdered two members (and their dog) of the Randy Weaver family over a $5 AOW tax stamp and they murdered by burning to death 76 men, women and children (and all of their dogs) at Waco over the suspected possession (none was ever found) of an AR15 that had been modified to fire fully automatic. And it had never been registered and the appropriate $200 Tax Stamp hadn’t been paid.
Never underestimate how far the BATFE (and really big fires) is willing to go to violate your rights.
The time to stand up and fight this is right now. Every manufacturer should fund and pursue a class action suit against the Government to eliminate the NFA as unConstitutional and appeal it all the way to SCOTUS.
Do not stand back and watch. Call your Congress critters and talk to a live person in their office and demand (politely) that they support revoking the 1934 NFA.
Congress never removes a tax. The NFA will not go away with the Senate being dem controlled. There are even some on the GOP side that would like to not only keep it, but make it stronger.
The industry is well aware, and with SHOT being this week I imagine lots of conversations will be happening. Rainier has already joined the 2AF lawsuit, so yes, the industry is already involved on at least one level.
Tax stamps and the thought thereof i think is the most ridiculous thing ive ever heard because taxation is theft. We have been taxed on our entire existance and this will never change as stated by guitarguy. We need 2a backing on both sides of the isle but sadly i dont think that will ever happen entirely
There are alot of industry big dogs that dont want to have an iron in the fire because of backing as well as recognition. Several are trying to lay low due to outlook as well as the fact that lawsuits have been proposed against them in several unfortunate happenings and negative light has been shown due to that fact on our industry as a whole. Some will stand up and sadly most wont due to this fact
Agreed. Abolish the BATF, NFA and GCA. All needs to go. BUT, the established order will not allow it. It would put too many people out of work, the courts, court staff, and most of DOJ would be unemployed. No way they would let the tax revenue go away. They like the chaos and disparity. Just like the war on drugs, the war on crime, the war on poverty, the war on illiteracy, it goes on and on and on.
Like you said the best thing we can do is get involved vote, let your representative know about it and support Pro Gun Organizations and exercise your God given rights.
A way to mitigate that is to shift employees in these positions into other “jobs” and allow them to maintain a clearance but not sit in seats that have roles in those types of positions. Its the same principal as holding a contract in the private sector…once you lose a contract or someone out bids another company for a contract, the personel get shifted to another contract. Same principal can be achieved so that no job loss would take place but those positions would be decomissioned
I would rather see them have to go out and work in the real world than to suck on the proverbial government teat their whole life.
I hear there’ plenty of “Green Energy” jobs. Wouldn’t want an endangered gnat from a swamp go extinct from some solar farm project.
I agree but it would be a better alternative then the latter for what is happening now and what will continue to happen. Like he said stick them in some “green energy” positions that will have them sit in a position that makes them feel privilaged but mean absolutly nothing
@BudMan thanks for joining us here on the forums. we’re glad to have you.
also i cant agree more with what you said.
Also, thank you for your life long service to our country and communities.
I have No tangible hopes of the BATFE, NFA or anything else Anti 2a being Abolished or Defunded in todays political climate.
I do however have great hopes of this Pistol Brace garbage blowing up in all the Anti Gun faces and thus bringing the BATFE back down to earth.
I’ve read that NC Congressman Richard Hudson is already organizing against this and Law Suits are ready to be filed by the NRA and the GOA as we speak.
I’ve said this before… this newly fabricated felon isn’t heading for the hills or caving into any whims of a Bureau that is Not empowered to inact Laws. I’m going to hold in place and write everyone I can to get this travesty reversed before it gains speed.
Stop worrying and do something…Contact your Congressmen and Senators and let them know how you feel…the next Election is right around the corner. Turn Up the 
Heat on them seeking re-election.
It’s about revenue, for now. $200 stamp for a commonly used firearm? Next a stamp for a commonly America’s Favorite Rifle? How much revenue does that generate? Then there’s the control issue. They know where the fir arms are. If it doesn’t combat crime guess what’s next? Gun owners become felons.
Keep in mind the ATF already pulled a bait and switch with F1 suppressors…
Honestly…after the bump stock fiasco…I don’t see how this stands…how long in court is the question…but in 4 months some people may be felons to the ATF…which may or may not include me.
My big hope is that here in Texas…Abbott says the ATF can f off
PSA’s official statement:
I noticed earlier today ALL of the AKV’s, ARV’s and JACKL’s were out of stock. Wonder if they sold out or pulled by PSA?
All braced firearms were pulled and will be reconfigured.
That alone is likely a huge financial impact.
Kick them out. Make them fill out applications. They can grade some export grain like me for a bit, im just not training any of them.
IMO-politicians peddling fear and panic is their stock in trade. Americans have more common interests than what our fear mongering politicians present 