A Tinfoil Hat Made Out of Copper

So on the Facebook I was targeted for an ad from this company

So for those that don’t know, since the Volstead Act Distilling spirits has been illegal. When the 21st Amendment was added to the Constitution the ATF (Which was created to catch bootleggers illegally selling alcohol) started taxing producers by requiring licenses.

Now I have a C&R FFL, which allows me as a collector to have some of the powers of a commercial FFL, and of course lots of limitations so that I’m not acting like a gun shop without having the proper license. It’s also totally ok for you to ferment your own beer, wine, mead, ect at home so long as its for your own personal use and never for sale.

But I really don’t drink much beer or wine, I like spirits, is there a license where I could buy a modest copper pot still like that one and turn home made beer into whiskey, or wine into brandy?

No, no there isn’t.

As a matter of fact it is ILLEGAL to have a still in a residential area (I’m not sure if it’s mere possession of the still, or is it operation….knowing the ATF I suspect it’s possession) so if you want to pay for a commercial license you need to establish that distillery in a commercially zoned area. So even if I wanted to dump the cash for a full license…..either FFL or for distilling, I can’t unless I open a commercial property.

Furthermore their FAQ has NO information about this!

I think what puts a bow on it is this line:

Absolutely FREE shipping and FREE returns, if needed. Street address required. Still cannot be shipped to P.O. Boxes – they don’t fit!

Maybe I’m paranoid now. Yeah, even a small pot still won’t fit in a PO Box…..but it’s also not the place to send the ATF SWAT team to arrest you. Is this just an elaborate Sting?

I’m not taking the bait.

**UPDATE**

Found this on their Youtube Chanel:

Either this is a MUCH more targeted STING than a simple Phishing Trap, or the guy in the video is documenting his felonies and ignorance of the law for all to see.

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9 Responses to A Tinfoil Hat Made Out of Copper

  1. Scribbler says:

    Considering that “too big for a po” box is pretty much the point where you need freight shipping (seriously if it doesn’t fit the box they leave a note and you get it at the counter. Not a complicated process) I’m gonna go with there’s something whack going on

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yep, my local post office is a little tiny store front attached to a HUGE SECURE WAREHOUSE with big loading docks. I would imagine just like how rural people probably still get Amazon to their PO Box, they open the box and inside is a note that the big box is out back.

      But the SWAT van is not going to park outside a Post Office and wait for you to show up to get your box….plus they might need to coordinate with the USPS to avoid a pissing contest.

  2. Paul Joat says:

    There is a Legality tab on their faq with vague language and dead links.

    I wonder if we were breaking federal law in highschool when we did distilling in chemistry or if there was some sort of exemption.

  3. DragonLW says:

    Actually, you CAN distill Ethanol.

    You can even get a license from ATF (its free….no charge for the license) to distill ethanol.

    Used to have the link to the ATF page where you apply for the license. Not easy to find on their site, but its there. The license is for the distillation of ethanol as a fuel additive.

    Yes…you CAN distill ethanol and add it to your gas tank. That is perfectly legal, and you don’t even pay a tax on the ethanol you distill.

    You take a SIP of that ethanol, and now you are a felon.

    Kinda like the “arm brace” bullshit. As long as you don’t shoulder your AR pistol with the arm brace, its a pistol. But as soon as that arm brace touches your shoulder, its a SBR and requires a NFA stamp.

  4. Alpheus says:

    Would this really count as a sting operation, though? If this were an attempt for the Feds to arrest people, it would seem more like entrapment, because the company is pretty much encouraging people to break the law.

    I can’t help but think I’m missing something on the subtle differences between stings and entrapment, though, so perhaps I’m wrong…but even so, it’s one of those gray-area things that is much like the ethanol for fuel vs ethanol for drinking mentioned earlier…that is, the distinction is utter crap.

  5. Pingback: Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 071: GRPC and the NFA | Weer'd World

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