President Barack Obama just quietly released a new executive order that could subject casual gunsmiths to thousands of dollars in fees and other regulatory burdens if they so much as thread a barrel on a firearm.
The executive order gives new authority to the State Department’s Directorate of Defense trade Controls, which oversees International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the underlying Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
From the State Department: “Any person who engages in the United States in the business of manufacturing or exporting or temporarily importing defense articles, or furnishing defense services, is required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls … For the purpose of this subchapter, engaging in such a business requires only one occasion of manufacturing or exporting or temporarily importing a defense article or furnishing a defense service. A manufacturer who does not engage in exporting must nevertheless register.”
by Sam Rolley