Originally Posted By: ackleymanAt what point the libs working in the BATF start considering a guy a "Firearms Manufacturer" I don't know, but it is a very serious issue.
Currently, the distinction lies in what happens to the firearm after it's made. According to the BATF, you're allowed to make your own firearms for private use, whether it be assembling a finished lower, machining an 80%, or machining one from scratch out of a raw billet. You can make as many as you like, as long as its for personal use. Once you start selling them, you become a manufacturer.
You do have a point, though. This administration has demonstrated that gun control can be as simple as changing the interpretation of an existing law. Time will tell how well it stands up in court. Unfortunately, owners of an item that was previously 100% legal are now faced with the choice of destroying personal property without compensation or becoming a felon by default. Future administrations, who may be less gun-friendly, may look to this method and attempt to apply it to other such items. It doesn't matter whether or not these rule changes hold up in court, because they will leave law-abiding gun owners in an unfortunate position, in the time it takes an organization to present a legal challenge.
