Makers - our next board meeting is Thursday March 15 at 7pm.
If you have an agenda item please reply to this thread. If it could use some pre-discussion, post a separate thread to hold that.
March 8 is the last day to add new things to the agenda. That gives the board time to do our homework and decide how to vote on the proposals.
March 12 is the last day for unresolved questions about agenda items, ie if we’re still going back and forth in email, it might be briefly discussed but not voted on. This is a deadline for board members, too - make sure you’ve done your homework by March 12, if you’re going to vote NO please let the submitter know why.
Bus
uv printer
Well drilling equipment
equipment stored offsite, well drilling, kiln, engine hoist, uv printer etc.
electrical bid / allocation of funds to bring us up to code / have enough outlets for areas
process to empty one more studio
possibility of replacing Jewelry lead?
Security lead opening
Safety lead opening
Good suggestions JB. Although some of these things aren’t really board things, I think they’d be better addressed at the area lead meeting with Christian. UV printer, studios, replacing (or better yet getting help for) the jewelry lead are some things where we’d like to hear your recommendation, then let us know how the board can help.
I didn’t even know we had an engine hoist, sure I’ll bring it up. Maybe we need a nicer procedure accepting, recording and tracking offsite equipment.
JB, have you had a large number of request from members in the metal shop?
It is a subject in general I would not touch with a 10 ft pole personally.
This would also be a question to our insurance agent. I would want any answer from the ATF in writing. It would also need to state clearly that if we would need to be a licensed manufacturer and not be held responsible. it would need to be in big clear letters simple to read language that we would not be held responsible in any way.
We pay a lawyer to say the same thing, or we could just say it is not allowed.
I have read sections of this https://www.atf.gov/file/11711/download a few times. My head hurt after reading that much legalese. I have no clear answer after reading it.
Risk vs reward. Lots of red tap and possible risk to cater to a few members wishes.
PS, I personally like the idea of being able to make anything including guns.
There have been a fair number of members want to use our machines to make or modify firearms and accessories. I am totally against allowing 80% lowers, or anything similar. If you want to work on parts thats fine, but dont bring the entire firearm into the maker space. I dont want people to get nervous around others because they are carrying guns and rifles around the space. I am all for concealed carry though
I’m still willing to reschedule an ATF representative, but if the position is that what he says isn’t valid unless it is signed in blood, then there’s no point in bothering. Regardless, the law is quite clear on what constitutes a firearm, and a barrel, hammer, or stock isn’t. As long as a member doesn’t bring a firearm in to work on it, but only brings the single part to be worked on, I’d have absolutely zero problem with it. And frankly, anyone else wouldn’t care because unless the maker was shooting his mouth off (no pun intended), nobody would know what that random piece of wood or metal is in the first place. I’d be perfectly happy putting in our policies that you can bring a cylinder, barrel, grips, stock, hammer, or frame in for work, but it must be a single, non-moving part, with no exceptions. Leave it at that.
Agree with David. We’d need a lot of time to carefully outline safety procedures for entire firearms so for now let’s just say parts are okay.
I did once have a guy say he wanted to make a semi-automatic rubber band gun. Our policy doesn’t say “no firearms” it says “no guns”. I told him we probably won’t sweat that one too bad, but do wear safety glasses.
Would something like this satisfy the majority of our members? Changes?
Potshots?
Proposed Firearms Policy - MakeICTFirearms and ammunition cannot be stored
at MakeICT. Generally, complete or near-complete firearms may not be
fabricated or modified at MakeICT, with the following exceptions:Individual
parts may be fabricated, modified, altered, or finished at MakeICT,
provided that the part in question is a single part, not attached to
another part or assembly. Individual barrels, frames, slides, stocks,
sights, cylinders, hammers, grips, holsters, triggers, springs, pins, and
screws may be brought in, provided that they are single pieces, and if part
of an assembly, removed from that assembly. Further, no part may be
modified in a way that is unlawful. Any member who wishes to work on a part
of a firearm must notify Security in advance, and must include a brief
description of the part and the reason for bringing it to MakeICT. An email
to security@makeict.orgsecurity@makeict.org is acceptable.Ammunition
primers, black powder, and smokeless powder, as well as reloading
operations, are prohibited.
Just in case I might be surprised to find I’m part of a silent majority, I
personally would prefer a stronger prohibition against working on
firearms. I don’t have specific wording to propose, but I would keep
anything we approve short and sweet to avoid creating another thing for
someone to twist every which way.
Would you be against someone bringing in a wood stock (only) to add
checkering? How about a single piece of metal to powder coat? That is what
we’re talking about. The fact that it may go home to live as part of a
firearm really has nothing at all to do with the piece at MakeICT.
I agree it’s a difficult problem and I hate making rules that can’t be
easily enforced. However, I feel it’s important to express my general
concern so that nobody has the mistaken impression that there’s 100%
support for working on firearms at MakeICT. I don’t care about cosmetic
ornamentation, just about work related to the essential operation of a
firearm.
So I would prefer something like: At MakeICT you aren’t allowed to bring
in or work on any part of a firearm that is essential to its operation.
However, work that is limited solely to ornamentation may be approved by
director.
I respect what you’re saying, but I have to disagree. By limiting ANY work to a single, solid piece, you guarantee you’re not working on something that can hurt anyone, except perhaps as a club. And it is clearly not a firearm by legal standards. I thought that was pretty accommodating for those who simply have a moral aversion to guns.
I had someone ask if powder coating lead bullet tips was ok. this would be just the lead tip, separate from the rest. is this allowed? I would at least say no receivers, that is the serial number part that makes it a firearm. If we have a policy in place, can Area leads have their own rules on the matter that restrict it further?
I had hope to have the By-Law change ready, just to read at the meeting so we can push it out 2 the membership 2 weeks before the quarterly meeting, but as it’s the 9th is it to late or was it already added at the last meeting?
