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LETTER OF EXPLANATION
Dear TommyBuilt Tactical T36 Owner:

Greetings. We hope that you are enjoying your TommyBuilt Tactical T36, and want to thank you for your patronage.

With that said, we have received unfortunate news that the receiver of the T36 will now be classified by ATF as a machinegun receiver. ATF has recently determined that the blocks and restrictions manufactured into our semi-automatic receiver (which are a replica of the SL8 prevention method) are not sufficient and now require an auto sear block on this platform. We disagree with this position but do not make the regulatory decisions.

To this end, we at TommyBuilt Tactical are eager to work with our T36 owners and with the ATF to comply with the newly mandated requirements for this platform. Our counsel and team have met with our regulator to make attempts to resolve this issue. TommyBuilt Tactical has made and had approved by the ATF an upgraded semi-automatic receiver including more restrictive blocks, the newly required auto sear block and other various upgrades.

So we are clear, there is no current intent by ATF to criminally charge any TommyBuilt Tactical T36 owner for the possession of contraband, or to prosecute TommyBuilt Tactical for any wrongdoing. To this end, my team and I have been authorized by ATF to replace the existing T36 receivers with an upgraded “TG36” receiver. There will be a minimal cost to you of $225 to upgrade to the new TG36. It is critical that you send your receiver to me for an upgrade. The ATF has made it clear that if your T36 is not returned for upgrade to the TG36, it will be considered contraband and subject to seizure.

Once seized you will lose your entire T36 assembly. The resolution that we are offering will allow you to keep ALL of your components in an upgraded state at a minimal cost.

We are a small business and already overwhelmed. This unexpected determination is a substantial financial hardship for us all. Please refer to our website (www.tommybuilttactical.com) for more details on this situation and instructions on exactly how to send in your receiver for replacement.

Again, we appreciate your patience and understanding.



Thank you for your support,

TommyBuilt Tactical LLC

While TommyBuilt Tactical is a small company, they should be taking care of this problem at their expense.

Passing it on to the customer is unwise, on several levels.

the ATF needs to go bye bye, but whatever means possible

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
While TommyBuilt Tactical is a small company, they should be taking care of this problem at their expense.

Passing it on to the customer is unwise, on several levels.

No. No they should not. They are not responsible for ATF’s change of opinion.

If they were a large company (Ruger) and could absorb the cost , then they absolutely should. As a small company, this would bankrupt them and put them out of business. And then ALL of the receivers are contraband and need to get confiscated ... so while the $200 charge is annoying , it’s probably the best and only option .

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
If they were a large company (Ruger) and could absorb the cost , then they absolutely should. As a small company, this would bankrupt them and put them out of business. And then ALL of the receivers are contraband and need to get confiscated ... so while the $200 charge is annoying , it’s probably the best and only option .

You know how that conversation went, "you mean if we reinterpret this it'll put an evil gun manufacturer out business? WTH are waiting for? "

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
If they were a large company (Ruger) and could absorb the cost , then they absolutely should. As a small company, this would bankrupt them and put them out of business. And then ALL of the receivers are contraband and need to get confiscated ... so while the $200 charge is annoying , it’s probably the best and only option .

So if the ATF comes out and says that P320 FCU's are considered AOW or some crazy shit, then SIG should pay to have everyone's retrofitted permanently to the frame like a traditional handgun?

There isn't a situation I can think of where a company SHOULD pay for costs that are not due to a faulty or otherwise unsatisfactory product.

Magazine manufacturers shouldn't pay for magazine limiter retrofits if for some reason 30 round mags become illegal.

I love how ATF goes after Tommy's conversions.

Like there are, what, 10 of them out there? (Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Talk about persecuting a high-dollar super-niche product with minimum circulation. I'm sure there was a huge danger out there that the handful of people that own these at nearly $3000 a pop were going to find some even harder to find G36 parts, modify the receivers and flood the streets with full-auto Kraut space guns. Do it for the children, ATF!

Yep, that's the ticket.

This isn't a 30 round magazine being limited in number of rounds.

It is something that will convince me to never buy a TommyBuilt rifle, though.

This has become an unsatisfactory product. The company needs to make that right, instead of passing the cost to the consumer.

I wonder if this ruling would also apply to the HK SL-8?

quote:

Originally posted by Belgian Blue:
I wonder if this ruling would also apply to the HK SL-8?

So far it has not, but if the story about the T36 receiver being identical to the SL-8 is correct, who knows what they could decide.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:

quote:

Originally posted by Belgian Blue:
I wonder if this ruling would also apply to the HK SL-8?

So far it has not, but if the story about the T36 receiver being identical to the SL-8 is correct, who knows what they could decide.

Tommy Built says they copied the SL-8 design to ensure they would be compliant. This is similar to harassing Q about the Honey Badger brace. Small company with limited legal resources that can't afford to fight all this in court.

Admittedly I don't know enough about G36/T36/SL8 receivers to make a technical judgement. AR semi-auto lowers don't have the auto-sear pin hole and there is more material in the auto-sear location that prevents its installation. Of course anyone that knows how to use a mill can modify the receiver for FA parts, but it does take machining work. Thankfully the "large pin" idea was deemed unnecessary.

Anyone know the technicals of how the T36/SL8 differ from the G36? I was considering getting a T36 at some point for the novelty of it, but I guess I will wait and see how this all turns out.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
This isn't a 30 round magazine being limited in number of rounds.

It is something that will convince me to never buy a TommyBuilt rifle, though.

This has become an unsatisfactory product. The company needs to make that right, instead of passing the cost to the consumer.

Good grief.

Let’s be blunt. And make no mistake about it. ATF specifically and willfully targeted a legal and law abiding business due to its size, financial resources, and ability to sustain litigation. PERIOD!!!!! TB has been doing this ATF APPROVED receiver block design since the ATF APPROVED SL8 conversions over 15 years. ATF absolutely would have NOT had the balls to even attempted this against Sig Sauer, Ruger, or any of the larger companies. I’d like to know where the NSSF or NRA is and why they have not gotten together a class action lawsuit with P80, and others against ATF. I’d like to see the email traffic and notes in a deposition along with all the policy meetings notes by the acting head of ATF and her direct subordinate from their meeting with Biden and his administration prior to holding office. It will definitely show this was not an “accident” but a targeted effort to infringe upon law abiding companies via harassment. I’d use the specific term violation of ones civil rights under the color and cover of authority.

Once they clear the new design and it's OK, then I might actually get one.

I am starting to collect HK's because I expect Biden and the BATFE to seriously restrict imports of semi-auto rifles and "large format" pistols or tax them into non-existence. This is something they can do without Congressional legislation and it was done in '89 by Bush H.W.

And now that they have made their determination on the T36, as long as Tommybuilt complies with it, things should be OK.

Simply one more reason to abolish the ATF and put ALL of its agents in solitary at GitMo

Without a doubt the single most subversive anti-American amendment infringing organization ever created.

100% this ^^^^

This isn't the first time the ATF has reversed a decision and it won't be the last, and under a Biden/Harris don't expect anything will get better.

Anyone that witnessed the "brace" debacle shouldn't be surprised at anything the ATF does ...
... much less picking on a small company that did everything "by the book" and still got f'd