The Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project uncovered this week an internal document published by the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team that links privately made firearms (PMFs) with terrorists, criminals, and violent extremists.
“Criminals and violent extremists continue to seek ways to acquire firearms through the production of privately made firearms (PMFs),” the document warns. “PMF awareness and identification can aid PMF recovery, prevention of illicit activities including terrorism, and overall first responder and public safety.”
While the document admits that some activities related to privately made firearms are “lawful and Constitutionally protected,” first responders should be on the lookout for “suspicious PMF use.”
Indicators of such use, according to the document, include “assistance on making ‘undetectable firearms,’” the “presence of 3D printers or materials,” acquiring “commercial firearm-related items that are known PMFs,” larger online orders from firearm suppliers, and the “presence of homemade gun kits.”
Federal agents, in other words, are being trained to look with suspicion on anyone who owns a 3D printer, purchases firearm parts online, or makes their own firearms at home, a practice that’s been common in the United States since before its founding.
SEE ALSO: ATF Proposes Unclear New Rule Banning ‘Ghost Guns,’ Redefining ‘Firearms’
If a first responder discovers a firearm without a serial number, the document gives this cryptical advice: “For firearms without a serial number, trace them as a machinegun, which will aid in the accuracy of tracing and also provide intelligence value for investigators.”
Nowhere does the document point out that the majority of PMFs are lawfully manufactured by hobbyists and gun enthusiasts and used exclusively for lawful purposes. The ATF reported that law enforcement recovered 10,000 “ghost guns” in 2019. Many of these firearms, however, likely had the serial numbers removed rather than were manufactured un-serialized. In addition, one 80-percent receiver dealer told “60 Minutes” that millions of “build-it-yourself” gun kits have been sold in the last 10 years.
SEE ALSO: Watts Calls for Credit Card Companies to Ban ‘Ghost Gun Kits’ and ‘Core Components’
This is just the latest example of a nationwide, coordinated campaign to vilify Americans who build their own firearms. Multiple Democratic states and cities have launched lawsuits against companies that sell build-it-yourself firearm kits, and last year the ATF raided the headquarters of Polymer80, one of the country’s largest kit sellers.
This year, President Joe Biden tasked the ATF with re-writing federal firearm law to outlaw 80-percent receivers, also called “ghost guns.” The agency had for years told gun owners that 80-percent receivers did not constitute “firearms,” but it hopes to reverse course and re-define firearms in its new proposed rule.
The document uncovered by the Second Amendment Foundation appears to be one in a series of unclassified but internal documents called “First Responder Toolbox.” Published by the National Counterterrorism Center, many of these documents are publicly available and purport to “promote counterterrorism coordination” among law enforcement agencies.
BATF = Bureaucrats for the Absolute Termination of Freedom, aka the American Gestapo.
F * c k you! No!
” Fed Document Links Privately Made Firearms to Terrorists, Criminals, and Violent Extremists… ”
I’d be more worried about ” FAST AND FURIOUS ” firearms LIBERALLY spread among DRUG CARTELS by the previous OBOZO/BITEM administration…
Criminals gonna’ be CRIMINALS !!!
It seems to me that “ghost gun kits” are being obtained by citizens who are fearful that the government will eventually confiscate lawfully possessed firearms and are preparing for that happening in the near future. It is wrong to think criminals use the majority of ghost gun kits because stealing a gun is much easier than making one. When “homemade” guns are no longer available criminals will always find ways to obtain them. It’s the old law of supply and demand.
Ammo up.
This is such horse shit. Manufacturing a functioning firearm requires proper tools, skill, and knowledge. Let’s face it… Most criminals, gang bangers, and street thugs don’t have the brains to properly assemble a resume or job application, much less manufacture a functioning firearm.
Just more bullshit scare tactics from the anti gun left for the easily manipulated, braindead masses.
What a bunch of nonsense about privately made firearms.
The gun banners and gun banning politicians want to scare and confuse the general public into following their commands.
I’ve read articles that estimated that there are as many as 1 to 2 million guns floating in the black market. So why would criminals and terrorists bother to make their guns?
The gun banners claim it is so easy to make a “ghost gun” that it takes less time to make one than to put gasoline in your car. What nonsense. They mislead people to think it’s a bunch of parts. One needs a machine shop with precision tooling. Do they really think felons and terrorists are going to machine shops to have firearms made? If it’s not drilled right, they won’t work
A gunsmith said some of these proposed “ghost gun” laws are so poorly written by illinformed politicians that by simply taking your firearm apart for cleaning and putting it back together would represent a “ghost gun”.
This is the same group that said back in the 1980’s when Uzi’s first came on the market, that all street gangs and drug dealers owned them. Of course we know that they had watched too many episodes of”Miami Vice”. They never imported that many and they were here high priced. Customers would look at them, but wouldn’t want to pay the high price for one.
Then when Glock handguns came out, the gun banning groups said all the terrorists (sound familiar?) would get one to hijack airplanes. How stupid. Now Glock handguns are issued and used by many police department.
The gun banning groups and gun banning politicians will say and make up illogical statement.
On another site, they wrote of China critizing the USA for allowing citizens to own firearms. China has now said that families can now have 3 children per family. I wonder why? China has always wanted to take over Australia, New Zealand and America. They estimate that they would need 300 million soldiers to do so. Then they will send civilian to repopulate the country.
Protect and support your right to keep and own all types of firearms and accessories. Don’t let the gun banning groups which are run and funded by Micheal Bloomberg, George Soros, the Chinese government, the U.N., and Russia to restrict and ban firearms in America.
It is not that long ago that ATF was involved in “blowing the whistle” on home made guns when the arranged for someone to make and sell a few (sale is illegal) because they were fabricating an excuse to ban them. Looks like ATF is at it again, fabricating the evidence as they go.