[FrankenMauser]

An old thread, but caz223's statement is still true:

Depends. The laws governing powder storage nationally state that if you're going to store over 20 lbs of powder for your personal use in a residence, you need a wooden box or cabinet with a nominal thickness of no less than 1 inch. Storing more than 50 lbs of powder in your residence is in violation of the law.

Metal powder magazines are prohibited (even for smaller quantities of powder).

Local and State laws can be even more restrictive.
When I lived in a Rochester, NY suburb, I could NOT legally possess primers in that city; and I could not possess or store more than 2 containers, or 2 lbs of smokeless powder. Black Powder was not allowed, at all.

Here, in Utah, my current residence falls under a country ordinance of a maximum of 16 lbs of smokeless powder; and anything over 8 lbs requires a powder magazine made of "disintegrating, flammable wood, of one inch or greater wall thickness" (particle board, or OSB).

My previous residence had an additional city ordinance that limited metallic cartridge primers to 2,000 of any kind, total aggregate; and shotgun primers to 200. And, they limited smokeless powder storage to 8 lbs total in single-family dwellings, or 3 lbs total in multi-family dwellings (condos, townhouses, apartments, etc).

Sounds to me that if he will be storing less than 20 lbs, then the elaborate spec. containers are a moot point.

They're not elaborate. Build a wooden box or cabinet with a wall thickness of 1". That's it. You don't even have to hinge the door or top. It can just sit on top of the box.



The ATF's regs are very simple to understand:
Up to 20 lbs of powder can be openly stored in original containers.
Up to 50 lbs of powder can be stored in an appropriate powder magazine.
You cannot legally store more than 50 lbs of powder in a residence.

It's the local regs that can be a bit more confusing, and much more restrictive. Check into your State, County, and City regulations and ordinances. Failing to do so can result in hefty fines, and/or jail time in some areas (should you be inspected by your local fire department, or actually have a fire).

Since the storage of powder in my own home for personal use does not involve interstate commerce the federal government has jurisdiction under what consitutional law?

This isn't the political forum. For starters, your powder likely crossed state lines, getting shipped to you. Bingo! Interstate commerce.

Secondly... The ATF (and the rest of the Federal Government) believes they have the right to regulate anything within the United States. Until you become the test case, to prove their stance unconstitutional (good luck), you have to deal with it.