That is excellent news.
Consistent with the law the Thompson case was actually originally addressing.
Hopefully we will now see pistol to carbine conversion parts more readily available.
This also makes pistol receivers superior to rifle receivers when either can be used to build something, as it is still an NFA item if originally a shoulder fired weapon and converted down into a pistol. So a pistol receiver can always do more than a rifle receiver, even if someone merely uses it in rifle configuration, it gives more options.
Of course for the new firearm owner it adds one more thing people must learn. Just because they see a firearm in a certain configuration or using certain kits does not mean they can go out and buy the entirely available components and install them to make an identical firearm.
Since 18+ can buy rifles but only 21+ can buy pistols many places, including from FFLs, there is certain to be a number of people with rifle receivers of things like AR rifles that cannot legally purchase handgun receivers, but will want to use the parts from a kit to make an AR pistol like someone else they saw using an identical firearm, thus violating the NFA, or convert them back and forth.
Along with plenty of adults over 21 that also won't understand the legal distinction of rifle or pistol receiver, and that an identical firearm their friend has can be a crime if they start changing components using the wrong one.
Two identical AR pistols side by side, one is an unregistered NFA item because it started as a rifle receiver. A friend sees his buddy turn his pistol into a rifle all the time and back, knows they sell parts to do so, knows about proper overall length and barrel length, and thinks he is doing nothing different turning his rifle into a pistol and back with the same parts. That poor felon.
There will also certainly be people that think they can transition their firearm somewhere in between, running afoul of the law, adding or removing only one part and not both.
Of course other things like 922r create that type of complexity already, how many people do you think buy a foreign firearm and don't know slapping in an entirely legal standard magazine over 10 rounds, grip, stock, or many other unrestricted and available components is a crime if they don't meet a certain parts count.
But the ATF got this one right, even if it does require more educated gun owners to understand.
Consistent with the law the Thompson case was actually originally addressing.
Hopefully we will now see pistol to carbine conversion parts more readily available.
This also makes pistol receivers superior to rifle receivers when either can be used to build something, as it is still an NFA item if originally a shoulder fired weapon and converted down into a pistol. So a pistol receiver can always do more than a rifle receiver, even if someone merely uses it in rifle configuration, it gives more options.
Of course for the new firearm owner it adds one more thing people must learn. Just because they see a firearm in a certain configuration or using certain kits does not mean they can go out and buy the entirely available components and install them to make an identical firearm.
Since 18+ can buy rifles but only 21+ can buy pistols many places, including from FFLs, there is certain to be a number of people with rifle receivers of things like AR rifles that cannot legally purchase handgun receivers, but will want to use the parts from a kit to make an AR pistol like someone else they saw using an identical firearm, thus violating the NFA, or convert them back and forth.
Along with plenty of adults over 21 that also won't understand the legal distinction of rifle or pistol receiver, and that an identical firearm their friend has can be a crime if they start changing components using the wrong one.
Two identical AR pistols side by side, one is an unregistered NFA item because it started as a rifle receiver. A friend sees his buddy turn his pistol into a rifle all the time and back, knows they sell parts to do so, knows about proper overall length and barrel length, and thinks he is doing nothing different turning his rifle into a pistol and back with the same parts. That poor felon.
There will also certainly be people that think they can transition their firearm somewhere in between, running afoul of the law, adding or removing only one part and not both.
Of course other things like 922r create that type of complexity already, how many people do you think buy a foreign firearm and don't know slapping in an entirely legal standard magazine over 10 rounds, grip, stock, or many other unrestricted and available components is a crime if they don't meet a certain parts count.
But the ATF got this one right, even if it does require more educated gun owners to understand.
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