U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Companies selling 80% receivers and other homemade firearm parts have been getting uncomfortable calls and questions from their credit card firms and payment processors. Their ability to process payments could soon end, they’re being told.
Grid Defense, formerly Ghost Firearms, which is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, got a call from their Mastercard payment processor Wednesday.
“We were told we may be violating some of their policies regarding ATF’s new frame and receiver rule,” said TJ, co-owner of Grid Defense.
To be clear, he does not blame their payment processor or even Mastercard. He blames the ATF for not providing accurate and timely guidance. Of course, his biggest concern is what will come next – when will the ATF tell the financial industry that ARs or even ammunition should not be purchased with credit cards.
“The ATF is not being clear about their frame and receiver rule, which went into effect last month, so they’re causing private companies to be confused about their ruling, and it is going to negatively effect this industry,” he said. “The ATF likes to muddy the waters with confusion, and it’s starting to effect American commerce and the Second Amendment. I hope these large financial companies choose to support the Second Amendment. If they don’t and the ATF will muddy the waters over unfinished receivers, what will be next?”
For his business, the frame and receiver rule is relatively simple, TJ said. The 80% AR receivers he sells do not come with drilling jigs or finishing instructions. As such, they’re considered an unfinished receiver and not a firearm.
“As far as the federal government will tell you – the ways they’ve described the rule – unfinished receivers without a jig or finishing instructions remain fully legal and not a firearm,” TJ said. “Nothing has theoretically changed since the way business was done previously, with respect to the aluminum 80% AR-type receivers.”
Grid Defense has already received several determination letters from the ATF and recently submitted several more determination requests.
“The ATF is not answering those, which is causing private financial companies to react even though it’s not necessarily the law, because of the ATF’s unwillingness to give further guidance on the matter,” TJ said. “We are fortunate. We believe our payment processor is 2A-friendly and that they are on board with disputing allegations that we are violating the rules. We have worked with them, but we believe Mastercard may not understand it and is not getting the correct guidance from the ATF.”
Grid Defense has reached out to other businesses offering similar products and was told they, too, are being questioned.
“We can still sell and ship products to customers. We can still do it,” TJ said. “There’s no reason we’re not allowed to take payment processing for them.”
ATF Public Information Officers in Florida did not return calls seeking comment for this story.
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About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
Wasn’t it not too long ago we were whining about “Bump Stock” ban! Elections have consequences.
Yes, the marxist socialist democrats and their rino allies depend upon us having short memories. They have given us the current, and soon to get worse, recession to keep our minds off things.
One response to this foolishness would be to take a page from NY’s unelected Governor Hochul’s playbook and start the shift to a 75% finished receiver/frame.
Hopefully that would throw the BATFE into another rewrite/comment cycle.
Or people could just cut to the chase and start working with 0% finished lowers, i.e. an aluminum billet.
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/07/05/tfb-review-making-a-0-lower-receiver-with-a-ghost-gunner-3/
That is a great idea!
…or, I’m the words of 7 of 9; “I will not comply”!
Ronald Reagan did not defeat the Soviet Union. What he did was show Gorbachev that it was not possible for the USSR’s bureaucrats to change and update as fast as the USA could. A system rigidly controlled by bureaucrats simply cannot innovate as fast as one driven by individual initiative. That is where Gorbachev’s pivot to “Glasnost” and “Perestroika” came from. And the USSR failed because the bureaucrats couldn’t cope. Consider for a moment how long BATFE held on to the previous definition of “receiver” which did not fit the AR15 platform at all, even being willing to drop criminal… Read more »
Actually, he didn’t show Gorbachov anything…
On the way back to the airport, Gorbachev, insisted that he stop it a certain grocery store… He did… He saw what an American grocery store was..and that’s what did it.
…or so I’ve been told.
Yea DDS is pretty good..
Aluminum 80 % lowers never came with drill bits and jig but the poly ones did that I saw purchased . A CNC machine will cut the Aluminum without a jig . Freedom loving American will not be Infringed upon by FJB or the criminals at the ATF .
The BATFE is stonewalling, by refusing to provide clarification. This is similar to a question I asked an ATF agent years ago about how he measured barrel length. He said he’d close the bolt, drop a rod down the barrel and mark the rod at the barrel end; then removed and measure it. I said, then you’re measuring the chamber too not just the barrel length. He replied “you asked me how I measure barrel length. There is no guidance on exactly how to measure a barrel. So this is how I do it!”
That’s pretty interesting….He is/was not too bright either.
Obviously, the Harris/Biden crowd will contend that this is not infringement. Just like they do anything else that is anti-firearm. All things that are against the 2nd amendment and/or in favor of Hunter Biden, are sanctioned by the current administration. Ten-Four?
Roger.
THIS
THIS
IS WHAT TYRANNY LOOKS LIKE. We just await for the ATF to start caging and/or murdering people over it.
Obviously we as americans have failed ourselves and our children for it to get this bad. Dark forces install a
The alphabet networks are the propaganda arm of the Democrat party!
Until they start reporting the news and not their opinion we MAGA republicans are fighting uphill all the way.
I believe that when congress passes a law and the Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional the folks that voted for the law should spend some time in jail
New York and Maryland are defying the new ruling on the 2cd amendment some body should spend time in jail for that
or be out of government with no possibility of ever having another position volunteer or appointed elected nothing
But TJ, will UPS pick up your packages and deliver them?
…damn we need a CAV
Sorry but isn’t it the CREDIT CARD COMPANY, that is going along with this?? If they are, then, THEY ARE TO BLAME!
BATF makes up new rules and uses Administrative Law to legitimize them and enforce them. They, and all other Federal Agencies who use Administrative Law, are out of control and violating the Constitution as only Congress has the authority to make law, and Congress cannot authorize any other government branch or agency to do so.
they use civil procedures for criminal law something that is prohibited , scotus touched on that in epa but atf doubled down knowing their time is coming
I live in Florida and have a small group of other Patriots..Called Brevard Patriots and we’d like to get more involved
First off I want to thank you for your service to this country and to the 2A community