can and does the ATF make laws

[L84CABO]

they can't make "laws", only congress can make laws that the president signs.

however, they do have the power to write regulations to support those laws.

And this is a very slippery slope. Because as we've seen...such as in their recent attempt to ban M855 ammo...they can get pretty darn creative in their very selective interpretation of the law.

BLM is another good example of an agency that is not supposed to create laws but for all intents and purposes, they do. The whole "delegation of authority" from Congress to these governmental agencies has become corrupted IMO. It has essentially become, "taxation without representation" as these entities have clearly overstepped their authority. Our founders would have been dumping tea in the harbor already.

[Tarasdad]

BATFE has abused their ability to rewrite law by regulation over and over again.

[xsefan]

They do make laws and it's not legal but who is going to stop them?

[sl0re10]

That's just a consequence of poorly written laws. Someone has to decide, for example, which bit of a modular rifle is the receiver; and at what point, precisely, a hunk of aluminum becomes a firearm. Congress never said.

California's assault weapon laws were poorly written, both of them. In those cases, it worked to our advantage.

and the ATF, IMO, isn't historically anti gun. The ammo ban nonsense is new / current / Obama appointee related... Most of rules we can't find ways to work within (re: when ban means ban) came from outside the ATF.

[Mitch]

and the ATF, IMO, isn't historically anti gun. The ammo ban nonsense is new / current / Obama appointee related... Most of rules we can't find ways to work within (re: when ban means ban) came from outside the ATF.

Despite all the hysteria, I thought most of their recent pronouncements regarding 80% receivers were pretty good. For crying out loud, people were walking into an unlicensed business, handing over money, and walking out with a firearm. WTF was the ATF supposed to do? The fact it takes so little effort to finish an 80% shows how liberal they are with their definition. I truly believe that if certain Senators really understood this they'd be all over the ATF like flies on ****.

The pronouncement they made regarding the polymer 80% receivers, about the FCG pocket being made out of a different material was probably bogus. I think someone at ATF assumed the receivers were being molded with the pockets opened before being filled (instead of molding around the pocket piece), and when corrected on that, instead of saying "never mind" they tried to save face with a new, bogus definition.

But that's just how bureaucracies work.

[Jimi Jah]

Unless they are stopped by a court, they can do pretty much what ever they want, including smuggling guns to Mexico.

[GOLDEN GUN]

they are given police powers

[barrage]

Baring better voters, what's your alternative?

War.