ATF New Pistol Brace Rule now dropping in December 2022

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citizenconn

citizenconn

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According to multiple sources in the firearms community the ATF will be dropping, and presumably begin enforcing, their new pistol brace rule in December.

There hasn't been any talk from the ATF about grandfathering existing braces from the rules or even forgoing the $200 tax stamp charge if we go ahead and register our braced ARs as NFA items. Would you even register yours if they didn't charge the $200? Finally, has there been any movement on the Republican bill to exempt pistol braces from the ATF ruling? Does the new ruling by the Supreme Court make the ATF's proposed ruling de facto unconstitutional? Inquiring minds want to know your thoughts.

 
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It will be interesting to watch how things play out. I am down to just one AR pistol with brace which is my 9mm ColT SMG clone. I'll either just take the brace off or pin and weld a fake XM177 muzzle device onto it and then install a stock.

As my 9mm AR is built, it will never pass the ridiculous points worksheet that the ATF came up with.
 
I don't think those decisions are "contagious."

If my sponsors donated an AR "pistol" to Team Mediocre, I would immediately put a 16"+ barrel and real buttstock on it.
 
The new pistol brace “rule” will be immediately challenged in the courts. There are millions of AR pistols out there in private hands and the legal challenges will come fast and furious. Both the recent 2A and the EPA rulings will help make those legal challenges successful.
 
1-cavediver said:
The new pistol brace “rule” will be immediately challenged in the courts. There are millions of AR pistols out there in private hands and the legal challenges will come fast and furious. Both the recent 2A and the EPA rulings will help make those legal challenges successful.
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Here is another discussion about the recent Court decision and the pending one regarding the Bump Stock ban from the horse's mouth, so to speak. I think the pro-2A decision are starting to steamroll and the anit's are grasping at everything they can right now to keep control, such as the efforts of the NY governor trying to outlaw carrying anywhere outside your toilet.

 
N555 said:
I would SBR everything if there were free tax stamps.
They will probably start enforcement early, make a few examples out of people.
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Yeah, I would SBR them if free and then put regular stocks on them, because SBR is SBR right? How could they say one is MORE or LESS SBR than another in that case? They'd probably come out with another worksheet.
 
Handshaker said:
I doubt there will be very many, most people will just remove the brace.
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However, my reading, as well as that of many others, is that if the weapon came originally with a brace, and does not pass muster with the checklist, that it will be deemed to have begun life as an SBR., and cannot now be converted to a pistol. Your only options will be destruction/forfeiture, put a 16+" barrel on, or buy a tax stamp.

I have only one pistol that started life in that configuration, an AR9, and have already purchased a 16+" upper and stock for it. The original short upper has now been mated to a virgin lower with a bare buffer tube. My other braced pistols began life without a brace (buffer) so removal of the brace was all that was needed to get them to pass muster under the new rules once promulgated since they began life as a pistol.
 
If it goes forward, there will be a run on 16" barrels for a while. 14" will be pretty popular too (for use with permanent 2.x" muzzle devices).

I like my 10.5" 300 BO, but already have a 16" 300 BO upper ready to go. My son also has a 300 BO braced pistol and will need to make a choice. I can make it "fit the worksheet" with a 7.5" 300 BO barrel we have if he wants to stay short. Otherwise, he may get the 16" and I will play with something else.
 
remove the brace, and get a cool 80’s style buffer tube! Now we talking
 
Sistema1927 said:
However, my reading, as well as that of many others, is that if the weapon came originally with a brace, and does not pass muster with the checklist, that it will be deemed to have begun life as an SBR., and cannot now be converted to a pistol. Your only options will be destruction/forfeiture, put a 16+" barrel on, or buy a tax stamp.

I have only one pistol that started life in that configuration, an AR9, and have already purchased a 16+" upper and stock for it. The original short upper has now been mated to a virgin lower with a bare buffer tube. My other braced pistols began life without a brace (buffer) so removal of the brace was all that was needed to get them to pass muster under the new rules once promulgated since they began life as a pistol.
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I guess that makes sense if you bought it that way. Mine didn't start that way.
 
citizenconn said:
Yeah, I would SBR them if free and then put regular stocks on them, because SBR is SBR right? How could they say one is MORE or LESS SBR than another in that case? They'd probably come out with another worksheet.
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The whole point of the SBR was the 1934nfa was originally going to effectively ban pistols and the SBR thing was put in to keep people from cutting down rifles to make them more concealable. So there is 0 justification for SBRs.
 
N555 said:
The whole point of the SBR was the 1934nfa was originally going to effectively ban pistols and the SBR thing was put in to keep people from cutting down rifles to make them more concealable. So there is 0 justification for SBRs.
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You mean 0 justification to regulate them or to have them at all?
 
Sistema1927 said:
However, my reading, as well as that of many others, is that if the weapon came originally with a brace, and does not pass muster with the checklist, that it will be deemed to have begun life as an SBR., and cannot now be converted to a pistol. Your only options will be destruction/forfeiture, put a 16+" barrel on, or buy a tax stamp....
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How will the ATF know if an AR pistol came with a brace? I don't see anything on the 4473 that refers to having a brace.
 
P89DCSS said:
How will the ATF know if an AR pistol came with a brace? I don't see anything on the 4473 that refers to having a brace.
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That is exactly what I was saying to myself yesterday. My understanding is that its the lower that is registered (maybe I'm wrong or that they would get particular parameters in this case), so if they had a $0 fee grace period I have at least a couple dozen stripped lowers sitting on the shelf waiting for builds that I would register.
 
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