The ATF is going to enforce the new “ghost gun” rules as vigorously as possible. We all know this.

However, those rules haven’t gone into effect just yet. There are still a couple of months left before they’ll really be able to do anything about homemade gun kits.

Or, at least, that’s what I thought.

It seems they’re already making some moves in that regard.

This morning, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) served JSD Supply with a cease & desist order.

The order originated from the ATF’s Philadelphia field office. It stated that JSD Supply could not sell both unfinished frames and firearms parts to the same person no matter if they were purchased at different times. If JSD Supply sold a frame to someone, then the customer comes back to the site and buys a gun part; then, according to the ATF, the company sold the customer a complete firearm without a federal firearms license (FFL) in violation of the Gun Control Act (GCA).

Now, in fairness to the ATF, they do go on to claim this has nothing to do with the rule change that hasn’t gone into effect.

As Ammoland notes:

The ATF claims this action is independent of the new rule change that was unveiled last month during a White House Rose Garden ceremony and is due to go into effect this August. The order claimed it has always been Illegal under the GCA to sell parts and frames to the same person even if the transactions were separate. The ATF calls this “structuring.” Many sites sell both parts and frames, including major players in the firearms industry such as Brownells and Midway.

As of Thursday morning, JSD Supply’s website was taken offline until the company received legal advice on how to move forward. JSD Supply has been at the center of attention since NBC News released a hit piece on the company in conjunction with Pennsylvania Attorney General and governor candidate Josh Shapiro.

In other words, it became politically palatable to go after JSD Supply.

Honestly, folks, this is disgusting. It’s also why the ATF and gun owners have such a stormy relationship. There’s absolutely no reason for this.

The truth of the matter is that I don’t really see how “structuring” is illegal in the first place. Either the frame is a gun or it isn’t. If it’s not, then it doesn’t matter what else is sold with it.

I mean, is there really a difference between me buying an incomplete frame from one dealer and a parts kit from another?

“Why would you do that unless you’re trying to skirt the rules?” some gun-grabber might ask.

Well, because one place has a better price on an incomplete receiver than the place I want to get the other parts from? Maybe I really like Company X’s unfinished frames but Company Y’s slides and trigger groups.

The fact of the matter is that we don’t have to justify our purchases for any lawful good to anyone.

I don’t see how JSD Supply did anything wrong.

What I do see is an ATF that can’t wait to jump on the new rules against unserialized firearms and is looking for any opportunity to hit those who sell parts for them.