ATF status report

seems the BATFE is slowly but surely getting all their ducks in a row.... the wheels of the federal bureaucracy do grind slowly but surely.....

what concerns me is the re-defination of the Toy Propellant Device in NPRM

The USPS allows model rocket motors to be shipped as TPD... I assume that once the TPD is gone, the USPS will then have to alter its shipping rules to include model rocket motors per DOT ? Perhaps this would be a good time to approach the USPS and see if we could get some of form of consumer blanket mailing rule?

Perhaps its time for the NAR/TRA to go back before the DOT and define a Large Model Rocket motor? Then perhaps we could get USPS shipping approval for model rocket motors up to 62.5 g instead of the current 30g?

Does the BATFE by law(?) have to publish responses to all 1600 comments? or at least a sizeable number of them?

So once the newly defined PAD un-exemption is published as a NPRM, we need to also do a good job of responding.

According to the 12/31/04 NAR Financials spreadsheet, NAR members had donated $215K since Jan 99 to Dec 2004. Assuming that the entire $215 was applied to Legal expenses, then the NAR General fund picked up $43K. The NAR spent $258K on Legal expenses during that same time frame. If we assume that the TRA spent the same amount(50/50) , then $516K has been spent by both the NAR/TRA not including 2005.

shockie B)

If you read the USPS rules you will see that they are quite specific in what they will allow to be mailed and it never refers to the ATF regulations.

DOT already has two model rocket motor numbers:

NA0323, 1.4S NA0276, 1.4C

Only items classified as NA0323 (or UN0454, also 1.4S) can be shipped.

See page 26 of:

I don't know. I can't see anything in the Administrative Procedures (Title 5, Chapter 5 of the United States Code) that requires them to do anything with the comments. Perhaps there is another section of law that covers this but I am not aware of it.

I must have been under a rock... so what's going on now? all I am getting is that rocket motors are considered PAD in the new ruling?

It wouldn't matter in Taiwan anyways, can't get any motors here... I don't know what the law said but I bet if I made my own rocket motor and shot it off the government wouldn't care.... there's like no government here. Fireworks are technically illegal but people shoot them all the time (and those election idiots would control a scooter with one hand and holding a firework in the other hand and shoot it off in that manner... I am surprised that it didn't catch some clothes on fire cause I was looking down and it almost hit me!)

Taiwan is a totally lassie-faire country (you know it means "leave alone" in French)

-- TAI FU