Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Last week Tom covered the cease and desist letter that JSD Supply received from the ATF on March 12, 2022. In the letter, the ATF admonished JSD Supply, owned and operated by Jordan Vinroe, over the sales of 80% build kits, and for having the potentiality of selling the rest of the tools and parts necessary to make a fully functioning firearm. In their letter, the ATF said that their order had nothing to do with the roll out of new regulations on firearm frames and receivers. With a collective eye roll, we all said “okay” to that. After doing some due diligence, JSD is saying “no thank you” to the ATF and has filed a temporary restraining order against the rogue agency.
As reported by my colleague John Crump over at AmmoLand, JSD sought further clarification on what the ATF’s letter actually meant. Rob Olson, JSD’s legal representation reached out to the ATF and did get a reply.
ATF Associate Chief Counsel Jeffrey Cohen and ATF Philadelphia field office Counsel Regina Drayton returned Mr. Olson’s call the next day. Mr. Olson pointed to the vagueness of the letter and how the letter reference complete kits that JSD Supply did not sell.
Two years earlier, Polymer80 and other companies were visited by the ATF for selling “buy, build, shoot” kits. The ATF considered those items to be firearms.
The ATF would not clarify what the company was allowed to sell, although the ATF did state that taking several parts off of the website would not be enough to satisfy the ATF since the parts are “easily available.” When asked if the company could still sell parts and take down the 80% kits, the ATF refused to say if that would comply with the cease-and-desist order.
The ATF lawyers seem to contradict the cease-and-desist order and could offer no clear answer.
The ATF told Mr. Olson to rely on ATF Final Rule 2021R-05F for guidance in the matter. That rule does not go into effect until August. Moreover, the cease-and-desist letter says that the ATF conclusion was independent of the new privately manufactured firearms (PFM) rule.
Given the circumstances, JSD has now moved to have a temporary restraining order imposed upon the ATF’s blatantly overreaching letter.
JSD Supply’s legal team claims that the ATF does not have the authority to arbitrarily shut down the company by using a vague cease-and-desist letter. They also claim that the ATF does not have the power to issue a cease-and-desist order over the selling of unfinished frames. The legal team asks the courts to block the ATF from enforcing the cease-and-desist order.
What’s happening to Jordan Vinroe and his company, JSD Supply, is a modern day witch hunt. Vinroe is probably on the radar of the ATF for numerous reasons, and I suspect it really has to do with the high profile coverage through a recent hit piece that was released. Vinroe and his companies were targeted by NBC news through a segment on the proliferation of so-called ghost guns.
The ATF being able to takedown and make an example out of JSD would get them some laurels with whoever’s really calling the shots over there in the Biden-Harris theatrical presentation. I further suspect that the ATF thinks it’ll be a slam dunk, with all other large suppliers just comportting to the new rules without a fight, showing the waste they laid to JSD and Vinroe. The ATF and DOJ may have underestimated how much American patriots loathe their policies and the way they go about bullying legitimate companies, because people are rallying behind JSD Supply.
Kudos! to Vinroe for not taking this on the chin, and bringing the fight back to the government.
I don’t know Vinroe personally, however he and I did have a rather lengthy conversation last month about the NBC piece. From talking to him, I picked up on how he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy that does not try to sugar coat things, or blow them out of proportion. This is a level headed individual that’s not into sensationalism. When I heard news of this latest issue he had going on, I did report over at AmmoLand how people could support him and his cause. There’s a Give Send Go account that’s been setup, as well as T-shirts that could be purchased on his site.
Vinroe and JSD’s plight is that of all Second Amendment supporters. When I had a chance to catch up with him about this situation, there was not a lot he could say for obvious reasons. However, he was touched by the outpouring of support and generosity he’s received from others in the industry and freedom lovers at large. He had the following to say:
We are overwhelmed by the support we are receiving from industry members and customers alike.
We’ll be following the JSD/Vinroe case closely and continue to report back with any updates. It’s not just his fight, it’s our fight. In the meantime, check out Cam’s recent interview with John Crump (which took place before news of the request for a TRO was known) to learn more about the case and how you can help.