On December 10, 2020 the ATF showed gun owners yet again why it’s one of the most hated institutions in America.

ATF agents carried out a raid on Polymer80, a Nevada-based company that is one of the largest manufacturers of 80% lowers and pistol frames.  The Wall Street Journal reported on why the ATF conducted this raid: 

The raid target, Nevada-based Polymer80, is suspected of illegally manufacturing and distributing firearms, failing to pay taxes, shipping guns across state lines and failing to conduct background investigations, according to an application for a search warrant unsealed Thursday after the raid took place.

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The probe focuses on Polymer80’s “Buy Build Shoot Kit,” which includes the parts to build a “ghost” handgun. The kit, which Polymer80 sells online, meets the definition of a firearm, ATF investigators determined according to the warrant application. That means it would have to be stamped with a serial number and couldn’t be sold to consumers who haven’t first passed a background check.

Dan Zimmerman of Truth About Guns has already documented how the ATF is preparing for an incoming Biden administration:

Our friends at the ATF simply can’t wait for a Biden inauguration in January. They’ve been licking their regulatory chops, getting ready for crackdowns they’ve been planning on pistol braces and home build kits — alleged ghost guns — for months, anticipating a Trump defeat.

So now, the ATF is gearing up for some major gun grabs given that Biden will likely be installed in office in January. 

Zimmerman speculated that “the ATF may have once again changed their definition of a firearm and now considers Polymer80’s Buy Build Shoot kit the equivalent of a firearm, requiring serialization and a transfer through an FFL.”  The WSJ report expanded on this:

The ATF previously gave Polymer80 permission to sell unfinished receivers. But the Buy Build Shoot Kits, which are advertised as having “all the necessary components to build a complete…pistol” weren’t submitted to the agency for approval, according to the application for the search warrant. These kits can be assembled into fully functional firearms in a matter of minutes, the warrant application says.

Like all bureaucratic entities, the ATF is willing to change legal definitions to fit its anti-gun agenda. It’s an unaccountable bureaucracy that only acts on behalf of swampy bureaucrats and at the expense of millions of Middle Americans who rely on gun ownership to protect themselves from radical mobs and potential government despotism. 

TTAG reached out to Polymer80 and received the following statement:

Over the past few years, and at the present time, Polymer80 has had numerous contacts from federal, state, and local law enforcement officials across the country. In each such instance, when properly and lawfully so approached, Polymer80 has expended best efforts to fully cooperate with law enforcement. When and as appropriate, the company will continue to do so.

This practice is consistent with Polymer80’s hard-earned reputation as an industry leader and responsible corporate citizen. Indeed, the company takes its legal obligations seriously, just as it does its treasured and fruitful relationships with its customers and independent dealers.

In short, Polymer80 is committed to discharging all of its responsibilities and duties as to them, as well as vigorously protecting its rights under the law. We will continue to monitor all developments as they arise.

With the potential of a divided government likely upon us, a Biden administration can still do significant damage towards our gun rights through bureaucratic action via the ATF. 

Republicans should make an-ATF stance a part of their platforms heading into the 2022 midterms. The Second Amendment issue will not go away so easily and grassroots activists will be more than riled up with a Biden administration (which already has an illegitimate aura to it) likely pursuing massive gun grabs. 

Government agencies are one of the more overlooked perpetrators of unconstitutional acts and should be always held in check. The ATF is one one of the most prominent and it should always be attacked by the Right.