Quote Originally Posted by soofle616 View Post
AR lowers are available commercially made from plastic. The upper receiver is the portion of the gun that is subject to abuse from temperature/pressure/impact/etc. The lower is primarily a place to put the grip and house the trigger. A printed lower may not last as long as a molded one but its not exactly going to fall apart the first time it's used.



Yes it is depending on the circumstances. The lower, by law, is the portion of the gun that is considered the "firearm" (why, i don't know) and as such must be serialized. Since it is a firearm and must be serialized, whoever is making it must have an manufacturer's ffl to produce it. They must also keep a log book of everything they've made which is subject to random audit by the atf. Also, depending on the state (not sure specifically about cali) even owning one is not legal depending on when it was made and how. CT for instance recently passed a new law banning all purchases of AR's. If you have them already you're fine but no one in the state can buy or even receive as a gift or inheritance any additional guns of that type.

I agree that the post is misleading and seems to be trying to create controversy where there really is none.
Some of that is factual, some is not.

AR lowers are the part that they chose to serialize and therefore became the part that must be registered. In general manufacturers tend to serialize the part that is in most control of the ammo. In the case of a 1911, thats the frame. I the case of an AR, its the lower which controls the ammo. The AR is, or at least was, unique in that its a modular firearm far more-so that most of its predecessors and certainly far more than any others in its class at the time Armalite designed it. With interchangeable stocks, barrels, uppers, triggers and grips, some part had to be designated as "the" weapon. The lower seemed the most logical part based on historical serialization of the ammo control component. Think of it another way. What part is the serialized component of your car? Its the frame. Not the engine. Not the body. Not the seats. Its the part onto which all the other parts are attached. And thats the lower on the AR.

Yes, lowers can be purchased in composite molded plastic. I have one. Its lasted for thousands of rounds. Its lighter and seems to take the beating of use better than aluminum. A 3D printed one is not a homogenous build and not nearly as strong. But, as you state, the lower does not need to contain any explosive gasses or pressure. In the case of an AR, all of that occurs in the upper, specifically in the chamber on the end of the barrel, the gas feedback system and the bolt. The lower is simply the frame on which the engine is mounted. It does take a beating in the form of recoil since most of the recoil management of an AR base is in the lower, specifically the buffer tube located in the rear stock. Its these forces that will tear up a weak 3D print, not the explosive pressures during the firing of the cartridge.


"Since it is a firearm and must be serialized, whoever is making it must have an manufacturer's ffl to produce it."
Not so. It is only required to be serialized if it is made to be sold or transferred to another individual. Its legal to manufacture them with or without serials for your own use. You can NOT then later decide to sell or even give it away. Its yours forever. It requires no paperwork. No serials. And no need to notify ATF of its manufacture. Also, an FFL can not manufacture weapons for sale. They process and handle the transfers through background checks and paperwork appropriate to whats being transferred and the state in which it occurs. To actually manufacture a firearm for resale, that requires a firearm manufacturers license, a whole different class of licensing. For example, most Cabela's and Gander Mountains have FFLs on staff for proper transfer of new firearms. They, however, can't whip out a piece of billet aluminum and mill you a custom AR lower in the back room. That would require a manufacturing license.

"CT for instance recently passed a new law banning all purchases of AR's. If you have them already you're fine but no one in the state can buy or even receive as a gift or inheritance any additional guns of that type."
I wouldn't bet on it standing up to any constitutional scrutiny for very long.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The CT law by definition, is infringement. Its already being challenged in several suits though some have already failed.