ATF Raids Ares Armor for 80% lower sales. Changes to legal classification of 80% lowers coming?
by
Nicholas C
Published: March 17th, 2014
Last Saturday, ATF agents raided Ares Armor in Oceanside, CA.. The ATF wanted information about the customers that purchased 80% AR-15 lower receivers. Even though Ares Armor had a restraining order against the ATF’s search and seizure, the ATF proceeded anyway. Might this signal a change in the BATFE legal opinion of 80% lower receivers?
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These lowers have always been a legally grey area, I'm not sure of any ATF ruling saying they ever were legal and even if there was one, ATF rulings are not worth the paper they are written on really, only a court can say for sure what the law means. So what happened is the shooter in the Santa Monica shootings made his own AR-15 using an 80% lower and the focus has obviously moved to charging someone for selling them so a court can rule on their legality. Federal law is quite vague on what "manufacturing" means, I think it would boil down in court to what the intent of the person was. IMO, partially manufacturing a receiver with the intention of it being completed is manufacturing a firearm and that is the court ruling ATF are seeking, no doubt.
The ATF is a lawless agency. I remember WACO.