If I understood everything correctly from the "announcement" and the articles that are already being published about it as we speak, all the "rule change" did was reaffirm something the ATF already threw a hissy fit over a few years ago where they now require full "Buy, Build, Shoot" kits to be registered and sold as fire arms.
They threw a hissy fit with Polymer 80 over this a couple years ago and all they had to do to get around it was break up their kits into 3 or 4 "purchases" rather than sell them as a single "purchase item". So literally nothing has changed. Well technically if I understand it all correctly, they DO now demand you serialize any "ghost guns" when you sell them, but how would you even enforce that? All you have to do is claim it was sold before the rule change and no one can prove otherwise.
So basically this was just more fear mongering as a means of distracting us from everything big that's actually going on, like Hunter's laptop, Ukraine, Disney tanking, acceptance of gays and trans tanking, public schools and colleges tanking, people joining our side, etc. etc.
It's kind of pathetic really, how desperate they're getting to hang on to control of literally any narrative they push.
That's what I'm saying. From my understanding it only applies to the actual kits. If you buy it up in pieces, the rules don't apply. So if you buy a kit with everything you need to build an 80% gun (minus the power tools) it's now a "firearm" under the new "rule". But if you buy a lower blank, and then a jig, and a trigger assembly, etc. etc. as separate items nothing has changed and you still have it all shipped directly to your house.
That's why I said if I understood it correctly this was a fear mongering nothing burger, since Polymer 80 and other manufacturers have already been doing this for a few years ever since the ATF threw a hissy fit over Polymer 80 selling "Buy, Build, Shoot" kits that had everything you need to build a gun in a single kit.
Of course this is just if I understood it correctly, and when it comes to the ATF, and government in general who can freaking understand their horse crap. Regardless, now that 3d printers are dirt cheap and metal 3d printers are starting to become semi affordable, this is kind of meaningless unless they intend to start regulating raw aluminum and steel blocks as "firearms".
Kinda like bumpstocks - worthless. What you say makes sense. If that were the case, they'd have to serialize barrels, and stocks, and every other component. Thanks for the input.