Solvent Trap business gets ATF raid

General Firearms NFA
1

I must have singed up to an email list at solventrap.net I know I never bought anything. Anyway I got an email yesterday. He was raided and shut down by ATF.

Here is the email I got which apparently went out to everyone on his email list.

Again, I am not a customer. Not posting for any reason other than informational. I thought it was some sort of SPAM at first trying to hijack money but went to the site and it’s apparently real.

Hello Solvent Trap Customer,

I can’t believe I’m writing this email. At this stage, I would like to tell everyone that I am under investigation by the ATF, and the US District Attorney is targeting me.

I was on a hunting trip with my eldest son (I have three kids) when the ATF raided my house and my shop. They came into my house with bullet-proof vests and guns drawn. It sends chills up my spine knowing that my children and my wife were petrified as this all happened, and I was not there. It was like they were after a drug kingpin.

Firstly, I want to reiterate to everyone that has an outstanding order with us that I will refund your money if you have a pending order with me. At this stage, the ATF has seized my personal and business computers, and I have no way to get in my merchant accounts to initiate refunds. Though, I do promise you that I will refund everyone’s money as soon as I regain access to my computers and accounts.

In the meantime, please refrain from initiating chargebacks or refunds. Every time a chargeback is initiated, it costs me an extra $30, and I need every cent at this stage to defend myself.

As a large percentage of you guys know me and know that I am honest and do everything by the book. I have done everything possible to abide by the law. I’ve been in constant contact throughout this business life with two specialist NFA lawyers, and I also have a letter from the ATF Firearm Technology Branch stating that solvent traps are perfectly legal to sell, own, etc. Every decision I made came from the advice of counsel.

Though, that hasn’t stopped them from railroading me and scaring my family half to death.

I hate to ask this, but I need every bit of help I can get. If you feel that I have been railroaded here, I could really use some help. I’m fighting the ATF with everything I have at this stage to stay out of prison and continue to be a husband to my wife and father to my three children. If you’d like to support me and help me fight this, I will be forever grateful if you donate any amount of money to my legal defence efforts, please.

You may do this by visiting this link https://paypal.me/TigerCreekTactical

Believe me, ANY amount of help would be deeply appreciated at this moment.

If you have any questions, please let me know, you can always contact me at 863-439-1760 and although I may not be able to answer immediately, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

P.S. I want to assure you that I’m not using any money from outstanding orders to fund my legal defence. As soon as I get access to my accounts, I will be refunding every cent to anyone that ordered and never received their orders. I’m struggling to sleep at night as it is, knowing that I’m holding money from my customers that I can’t even refund. Please, have a little patience and support me if you can, and please do not initiate any refunds or chargebacks as it costing me money personally at a time when I need every cent that I have right now.

Thank you for your continued support, and please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Chris Barnes

2

Hey look… Liberty in motion.

3

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes.

4

I’m with Renegade. I’m not saying that our laws regarding NFA items are logical, but to blatantly try to skirt the law? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
I have no sympathy.

5

For those wondering what a "solvent trap is:

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/10/24/solvent-traps-still-illegal-use-intended/

6

I disagree. A suppressor can be homemade lots of ways. Some make them out of maglite flashlights and engine freeze plugs. Where should the line be drawn? In my opinion it isn’t a suppressor until it is one.

I have a form 1 22 can. It was a pain in the ass to make even with a solvent trap.

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7

The law is clear on where the line is drawn. Like sevin8nin, does not mean I agree with it. But I am smart enough not to cross it. To each his own though.

8

The law does not say solvent traps are illegal. Where is the clear line?

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9


(24) The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication.

“any device”, “any combination of parts”, “redesigned”

If that is not clear to you, lock up your dog, unlock your doors, and set your alarm to 0400. Or do as Barnes did and go on a hunting trip. Seems though most of us see it clearly and do not engage in this nonsense.

10

Solvent Traps are dipshittery, but so is the ATF. Chore boy and rubber discs possessed with intent to use in or repair a silencer is a federal felony in violation of the unconstitutionally vague law you cited. That laws makes ATF the thought police, it is all about intent, yet they don’t need to be able to read your mind to fry you.

11

No, it’s not. Not when the BATF can arbitrarily change the status of a wipe, or call a shoe string a machinegun, or rule that shouldering a pistol changes it into a rifle. To push back against stupid, arbitrary and unconditional laws isn’t stupid. To ostracize someone when they get into trouble exercising their rights, without bothering anyone’s life, liberty or pursuit of happiness, is not right

12

Well, we will see what the jury says!

13

Solvent traps are not intended to be a silencer any more than a maglight.

There’s no skirting law, it’s legal or not. Like people who shouldered sig braces when it was legal. It’s not a work-around, it’s how the law is written. The fact that someone in an office doesn’t like it is their own problem. Learn to write what you mean and it goes away, but they can’t get what they want because of the constitution, so they try to shove a round peg in a square hole and when it doesn’t fit they say “well the hole is supposed to be a triagle” and the peg still doesn’t fit…

14

In my garage I have rags, gas, lighters, and old glass bottles. Does that mean I am in possession of a Molotov Cocktail? I also have PVC pipes and fertilizer, so what. Intent should have to come into play at some point, or else every hardware store, gas station, and feed store, not to mention numerous other businesses, in the country need to be raided and shut down.

15

Exactly. The slow creep of government.

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16

Intending is the key word. It is used twice.
A solvent trap is not a silencer or muffler. It has a legitimate and legal purpose to catch patches and solvent when cleaning a rifle’ bore. Pretty useless, but so are chia pets.

I get your viewpoint, it is wise to stay far far away from anything possibly illegal, but my point is that these solvent traps aren’t illegal. Maybe the subject of the article had a stash of unregistered functional suppressors, who knows. We will see.

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17

Yes, it is and you already posted your intent to use solvent traps in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler:

I have a form 1 22 can. It was a pain in the ass to make even with a solvent trap

Good thing you are not on trial!

18

The legal concept of constructive possession has virtually zero concrete meaning after all that the ATF has done.

Fertilizer and gasoline for your mower in your garage? You’re now a bomb maker. That’s the level of f***ing stupid these administrative “clarifications” have gotten.

Also, when reading the quoted statute, be mindful of the “ands” and “ors”.

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19

Step 1, get a form 1 legally submitted to the ATF, and receive stamp. Step 2 buy raw materials and assemble.

Alternatively, own a solvent trap for a while with NO intent to modify it until the form 1 stamp comes back.

Your intentions can change.

Do you know what a form 1 is???

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20

I don’t get it. He made a legal can. Intent of one individual has no bearing on another.