U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has sent letters to customers of Diversified Machine informing them they might be in violation of the National Firearms Act of 1934.
At the end of December of 2020, ATF agents raided Diversified Machine. Diversified Machine was selling solvent traps. The ATF claimed that the company was selling unfinished suppressors that were too close to being completed and were “readily convertible” into a functioning silencer. Since the ATF gives little guidance on what is a solvent trap and what is a suppressor, it can be confusing for customers and companies alike.
Diversified Machine was selling solvent traps with dimples on the end caps. The company didn’t think this violated any federal law. In fact, there is no law on the books explicitly banning dimpled end caps on solvent traps. The ATF used deference to determine that these dimples converted the solvent trap into a suppressor even if it does not function as one.
The ATF claims that the company included these dimples to be a guide for the customers to drill out the end caps turning the solvent trap into a working unregistered suppressor. The ATF has been cracking down on solvent traps over the past year. Multiple companies have been raided and visited by the ATF.
The ATF seized the company’s customer records and waited a year almost to the day to contact the customers. The agents insist that customers turn over the items purchased from Diversified Machine or face possible prosecution. Violating the NFA could result in a ten-year prison sentence if convicted of the felony.
In addition to companies being visited by ATF agents, federal law enforcement agents have visited several customers to purchase solvent traps and fuel filters. Most of these visits from federal agents stem from people buying the items for Chinese sites such as Wish and AliExpress. The ATF seems to be monitoring these sites not only for solvent traps and fuel filters purchases but also for people acquiring Glock switches that turn the pistols into machine guns.
Federal agents visited one Youtuber that goes by “Truck Master” and demanded that he turn over the suppressors he ordered from China. The man was confused because he didn’t buy any silencers from anywhere. It turned out that the ATF agents were talking about the diesel fuel filters that he used from his truck builds.
Another Florida man, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased fuel filters for his Mazda Miata that he raced was visited by ATF agents. Even though the man didn’t own any guns and had a legitimate use for the fuel filters, the federal agent bullied the man into turning them over by threatening to press felony charges against him.
The upcoming new ATF rule on frames and receivers is expected to deal a blow to the solvent trap industry. AmmoLand’s sources say the tube itself will most likely become the suppressor. This change would put every company producing solvent traps out of business overnight.
Through a leak, AmmoLand News was recently informed about a change in policy where field offices were no longer permitted to tell people that the ATF does not regulate solvent traps. Insiders believe that this is in preparation for the new rule.
Building a homemade suppressor is still legal by paying $200 to the ATF and filling out a Form 1, but gun owners should consider getting the tax stamp before starting construction.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
If something is illegal, but legal if you pay a $200 tax, it’s not really illegal at all.
You’re just paying a fee to the government so they won’t kick in your door and kill you for having the thing without their permission.
Funny the government gets upset when people get together and kick THEIR doors in
That is exactly the rationalization used by the AGUS and Congress, when they skirted the Second Amendment in 1934!! Personally, I find the tax on a prepolitical Right … unconstitutional.
The NFA, GCA, Hughes amendment, and every one of the 20,000+ laws that presume to regulate firearms are unconstitutional, and being repugnant to the Constitution have no legal authority.
Bullies.
It’s that simple. Except instead of bruises, these bad actors threaten imprisonment and ruin.
Here is one central truth concerning all republics: when the government no longer trusts the People the People should no longer trust the government. Revival or Bust. We are headed toward bust.
Government over reach by a unconstitutional alphabet soup agency . Non compliance is in order here as they are nothing but a bunch of ilegitiment thugs !
I wonder is an Antifa or BLM member caught with a suppressed firearm would be prosecuted?
Of course not, those creatures serve a useful purpose
So, China sells “Fuel filters” direct on Facebook. They are obviously mono-core baffles that require one hole drilled in the endcap to function as a suppressor. I see these ads daily. They are a felony to own without a stamp. One has to ask why domestic suppliers are hassled while China and Facebook have a good thing going that is ignored.
I own a Mazda Miata, so I guess my car is a criminal machine because it has a fuel filter, and BTW it has a sound suppressor called an exhaust muffler. Oh my, I sure hope the American secret police don’t raid my garage and arrest my Mazda Miata convertible!
I am profoundly deaf because of gun fire while in the army. It would have been great to have a suppressor even after serving our nation but I refuse to pay a tax fee for a suppressor because it is too late now because I can’t hear well even though I wear government provided hearing aids.
IN a Constitutional Republic the government must make a compelling logic case based upon the best evidence available before ‘banning’ any item or thing. There is no such case in regard to sound suppressors. Never has been. You are one of a couple of million of us who would have benefited from suppressors while in the service.
Does anyone actively look for suppressors to commit crimes? It seems to be a stupid law to encourage noise complaints.
F ATF
As a previous customer of Diversified Machine, I have not been contacted by the ATF, but if I was I’d simply show them both of my Form 1 tax stamps that made it legal for me to turn the parts into suppressors. And then I’d promptly tell them to go f themselves.
A friend bought several oil and fuel filters for his yacht, the at showed up and demanded the suppressors he purchased. They were not happy when he told them they are serving a useful purpose on the boat, so he showed them where they were, yeah he installed them in the fuel lines and oil lines, one agent was just going to take them, the one was full of fuel so naturally he got coated in diesel fuel. Yeah those agents are intent on getting those suppressors off the market so bad they are not thinking about what the real… Read more »
Remember Chore Boy scrubbing pads?
https://princelaw.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/chore-boy.pdf
Facebook sells them all day long
Don’t be a fool. Everyone knows that those “solvent traps” are meant to be used as suppressors. We have a very stupid law against suppressors unless you pay a $200 fee/tax. Violation of that law is a felony that leads to prison and a lifetime ban on possessing firearms. The way to fight stupid laws is to elect non-stupid people to office and to fund litigation under the 2nd amendment. Do not throw your life away because you didn’t want to pay a $200 tax. Take the money you would have paid for a suppressor and donate it to one… Read more »
Or you can just get a tax stamp.
Hadn’t heard of the fuel filter trick, but check out this web page from 2012.
https://www.guns.com/news/2012/08/07/oil-filter-suppressor
This would be the patent holder of that “design”. https://cadizgunworks.com/
Now I can’t have a oil filter on my Mazda Miata convertible