This is not quite correct. DMS has an aversion to anything ATF. This does not seem to political, it seems to be more related to a handcuff allergy and the sometimes seemingly capricious nature of enforcement in this area.
yup, that agency is notorious for making its own unconstitutional rules and being allowed to enforce them as law. Makes perfect sense why DMS would want to mitigate exposure to such an agency, as unfortunate as that is for freedom loving members that would love the ability to work on items in question.
I’ll tell you something I recently learned. The ATF doesn’t consider blackpowder guns actually regulated guns. That is you don’t need to license them or follow the other paperwork requirements of the ATF. They are considered antique firearms and are not regulated. A felon can actually own a blackpowder gun, too.
You can also own up to 50 lbs of blackpowder legally without a license for the explosive.
In 1997, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) added ammonium perchlorate composite propellant (APCP) to their list of “low explosives” subject to regulation. Rocket motors containing no more than 62.5 grams of propellant were exempted. The purchase and use of a “non-exempt” motor at the site of a launch event was not considered to be regulated because no transportation or storage was necessary.
On September 11, 2001, some people did something which resulted in the passage of the Homeland Security Act incorporating the Safe Explosives Act; this dramatically changed the regulatory situation. On-site purchase and use was no longer exempt from licensing. In the process, the BATF was renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE.)
The Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) joined forces to fight this intrusion. The action went in two directions: a lobbying effort to change the law (which failed) and a lawsuit to challenge the law on the grounds that APCP does not scientifically qualify as a “low explosive” (which succeeded.)
