WASHINGTON, D.C. -(Ammoland.com)- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) stepped up its war against 80% Silencer Kits by requiring new information that the agency has never asked for in the past. Essentially moving the goal post on home-built Hearing Protection without proper approval.
AmmoLand News recently reported about the rejection of approximately 850 applications out of 3000 submitted by Americans that wanted to build their own suppressors. Those 850 rejected applications were sent to local field offices for further investigation because the ATF believed that the parts constituted an unregistered suppressor. The ATF argued the components would need a Form 4 before the builder to obtain them, and the customer would have to pay $200 to the federal government for a tax stamp.
Now the ATF is embarking on what many would consider a fishing expedition against the American gun owner. The Bureau sent out a mass email to all those that used the eForm platform to fill out the Form 1, asking for additional information.
Prior Form 1 applications were approved without this information.
The ATF asks the builders to submit pictures of the parts that they will use to make the silencers. They want high-resolution photos that are most likely to identify any markings to ensure the gun owner doesn’t have what the agency considers an “unregistered silencer”. For example, a freezer plug with a dimple that could be used as a drill guide could be regarded as a suppressor in the eyes of the federal government.
The ATF also wants to know the builder’s process to assemble or fabricate the homemade suppressor. The ATF seems to be looking for anything they can then point to as illegal. For example, putting two endcaps that were predrilled on the tube would be unlawful in the eyes of the law enforcement agency. That choice could earn the builder a visit from the ATF.
They also require all builders to supply the product, model, or kit name and the name of each device used in the building of the suppressors.
As we have seen in the past, the ATF has a problem with specific kits sold before the Form 1 is approved. This request for information could verify that the builder is using one of these kits.
Rat Out Your 80% Silencer Kit Supplier
The final new piece of information that the ATF is now asking the builder to supply is where they acquired the parts. They want the name of the store or website where the applicant purchased the pieces used to make the Form 1 suppressor. The ATF has been cracking down on parts from China purchased through sites like Wish and Aliexpress. The ATF has even confiscated fuel filters from buyers that were using them as intended by the manufacturer.
Some see these new requirements as the ATF implementing new rules in the middle of a rule change process without the agency going through the required rule-change procedure. Form 1 suppressors are mentioned in the upcoming unfinished frames and receiver rule that is expected to be finalized this summer. Many think that rule will end all Form 1 suppressors when unveiled.
The ATF has given applicants until March 25th, 2022, to respond with the requested information before their application is automatically denied and the tax stamp money refunded.
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.
Changing the application form and process, as well as suddenly deeming solvent traps illegal after accepting them as form 1 can parts for decades is unethical and violates the administrative duties they must perform such as submitting the new form and process for comment and public review. batfe messed up, big time.
They are trying to get people to incriminate themselves, and also provide websites and stores that sell legal solvent traps and form 1 kits, which batfe has suddenly deemed illegal. BATFE told people online that all kits would be denied, yet in this form ask for kit name and model. They will shut down the stores, seize their lists of customers, and visit them all. BATFE also states in the legalese age the bottom of the form that only the maker can handle the raw material of the future silencer, and that anyone else working on it (or delivering them… Read more »
I’m thinking – just take some pictures of a pile of old beer cans. Make sure they’re high res so they can read the Budwiser or whatever label and go arrest the right brewery for selling suppressor parts.
Or a potato.
They’re already illegal. They’re 100% right out of the bag!
That is my kind of suppressor!
The rule will not end form 1 suppressors but it will ban solvent traps and premade parts. Form 1 makers will need to complete the build from raw and unmachined parts, start to finish, pricing them out of poor people’s ability to buy them, as cnc machines and lathes are more expensive than form 4 cans.
cnc is nice can make any gun parts, even replacements for obsolete
The ATF another alphabet agency of the federal government that needs to go. Trump wanted a smaller government for the people to better serve the people. The democrats want a larger government ruling we the people this is not in our country’s best interest.
Silencer is a old term that accuates to a hit man. Suppressor sounds more friendly to protect the hearing of the shooting world to reduce noise at shooting facilities. Environmentally friendly.
muffler more utilitarian like car part
Not sure why you expected anything different from this agency especially under this administration. You lost bump stocks and killed the hearing act under a “friendly” administration.
How do you send photos of the parts you are using if it is illegal to own the part (intent) until you have an approved form 1 tax stamp?
It’s a trap!
Send them a (HiRes) picture of a chunk of steel and a Home Depot receipt.
Tired of the ATF’s actions? Then tell your congressional representative to cosponsor and vote for H.R. 3960. If passed into law the ATF will be totally eliminated as an agency.
My CongressRat is a flaming IiberaI useless POS.
Can you vote against him in the next primary? Few vote in primaries, thus those that do vote in the primary election have a very large impact.
I 2nd that motion. GOA has thing going for it.
Can you send them an email stating that you do not have the parts and were intending to purchase them only after your form 1 was approved?
Or on form 1 tell them to F off.
Do not Comply. Do not submit the “required” info to the ATF. Just build the damn thing. Exercise your 2A Rights!!!
And shut up about it. People get caught by bragging.
WB;
Absolutely!
I remember the 3 S rule from Montana (referring to protected wolves and such).
1. Shoot
2. Shovel
3. Shutup
We had a guy not too far from me last year who shot this massive 14 pt buck out of season. Then the dumb SOB posted the pictures on Facebutt. He found out that the Game and Fish boys had Facebutt too.
There is zero problem of suppressor use in crime in America, so I wondered why the ATF spends so much money and time to restrict suppressor access. I can only conclude that it is just a giant F-U from leftists to “Trumpers” who the left perceives as “gun nuts.” It is an issue to absorb our political capital and attention. The real evil of this is that decent people are ending up in prison over the paperwork violation of not having a registration number for their hearing protection device.
Low hanging fruit, that’s safe and easy to pick.
People trying to be open and follow the law and work within the system, but make a simple honest mistake that turns them into paperwork felons, are likely not going to be a problem to arrest and charge. Especially when the victim unwittingly “supply” their own evidence for their own conviction.
the Fifth Amendment provides the right to NOT incriminate yourself when faced with government regulators. this is an attempt to entrap people into incriminating themselves to boost the prosecution/conviction rates of the bureau that shall not be named and shouldn’t exist. i thought government agents wanted us to be like those erudite europeans. well, many european countries allow the use and ownership of suppressors without government permission. and even some states here in America allow them for hunting. they care not that these items, which are statistically not used in crimes, could save someone’s hearing, they only want the control… Read more »
Don’t we all Mill our own parts?
Image for ATF …
This: The more generic the parts, from run-of-the mill places (wreaking yards, metal recyclers, hardware supply stores like HomeDepot, etc) the better.
At some point we have to take a page from the potheads and just ignore the law.
ATF makes no law. Not legally.
Last summer I was at a friend’s house and he asked me to help him sight in his new scope. He had some hearing protection but I didn’t, so I imptovised. I stuck my fingers in my ears each time he fired.
Do I need a $200.00 tax stamp for each finger? They are home-grown, but I’m not sure if the source is me or my parents.
While I believe owning silencers should not require permission from ATF, while it does, I have no intention of owning one. It just opens the door for them to stick their fing stinking nose into one’s business. Until silencers are fully legal under 2A, the ATF can stick one up their collective arses.
“Home Depot” “Joe Bobs autoparts”, “Dans auto wreaking yard”
Dear ATF: Nunya GD FB!
Just build it & they will come. lol