A very well-written letter to the editor appears in this weeks edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine (Mar 24 issue, page 6). The letter has a heading that says GET ATF OUT OF ROCKETRY and the letter itself says:
One of the unintended consequences of homeland security is the further regulation and restriction of model rocketry.
The unintended consequence of the Safe Explosives Act is that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms now has regulatory jurisdiction for the transportation of explosives in the U.S., and has ruled that model rocket motors are explosives. UPS is no longer shipping model rocket motors and many in the transportation industry are reviewing the compliance costs to determine if they also should stop.
While a grassroots group of hobbyists is working to get an amendment passed, the prospect of model rocketry hobbyists keeping ATF records and obtaining ATF permits starting this May is causing many enthusiasts to quit. The hobby that helped capture and spread interest in aerospace science is being regulated into extinction.
As a resident of northern Virginia, I have been keenly aware of the pressure to safeguard the public this past year and a half. I hope Congress corrects the ATF approach; there is not much time before many enthusiasts will be grounded.
(signed) Thomas Goudreau, Vienna, Va.
Excellent letter, Mr. Goudreau! Keep it up!
