Pistols: what's legal, what isn't?

[DougCxx]

I am looking for any info for the US as to what is and isn't legal to do to a pistol. I have already found one page here:
http://www.titleii.com/Bardwell/nfa_faq.txt
-this page mentions that a pistol must be designed "to be fired from one hand" and that it must have a rifled barrel, but doesn't say much beyond that.
.....
In particular I am wondering if there are any size minimums or maximum limits, or barrel lengths? Are vertical foregrips legal or does that violate the "fired from one hand" rule? I have found a few sources of info for rifles, mainly about Colt/AR's (probably because there's so much accessories you can bolt-on that aren't legal), but haven't turned up much info on pistols....
?
~

 

[TallPine]

I am looking for any info for the US as to what is and isn't legal to do to a pistol.

Well, for one thing, it isn't legal to point it at somebody that is not an immediate threat to you, and pull the trigger.

But I suppose that wasn't what you were looking for ....

 

[bad_dad_brad]

Every state and many cities in the US has it's own laws regarding firearms. There is no federal law I am aware of per/se except for full automatic being banned, what is considered a classic firearm, trafficing and selling are regulated, and a whole bunch of laws regarding the importation of pistols into the US. Bottom line. If you go into a gun store, or buy a gun from an FFL, and have complied with state and local statutes, it is most probably legal regarding federal laws.

 

[Moparmike]

I wonder if its legal to take a 1911 and convert it to a .50bmg belt-fed full-auto upper with a flash hider/muzzle brake.




I suppose its legal w/ paperwork, but its probably not recommended.

 

[SDC]

Under US law, adding a shoulder-stock to a handgun inexplicably transforms that handgun into a "Short-Barreled Rifle /SBR", which is prohibited unless registered as such with the BATFE.

 

[CleverNickname]

Are vertical foregrips legal or does that violate the "fired from one hand" rule?

A foregrip makes a pistol into an AOW. For example, if you have an H&K SP89, it's illegal to put a foregrip on it to make it look like an MP5K (without doing the Form 1).

Here's a scary thought: Lets say someone owns two firearms, an AR and a pistol with a picatinny rail under the dustcover. They get a foregrip for their AR, then decide they don't like it, and get another brand. They now have two foregrips. The foregrip they don't like goes in the back of their closet. Later they sell their AR (with one of the foregrips on it). If their house were searched for some reason, an ambitious ATF agent might be able to bust them for constructive posession of an AOW (as the person would have no legal use for the remaining foregrip.) Probably not likely, but people have been hauled into court for less.

 

[Old Fuff]

SDC: You are correct .... Unless the detachable shoulder-stocked handgun also has a barrel that is 16 inches or longer. Don't ask me to explain - I didn't make the fool law. But if you do have a shoulder stock you'd better also have a 16 inch (or plus) barrel to go with it.

 

[Old Fuff]

Doug:

There aren't any size limits on U.S. manufactured handguns, but there are on imports.

A handgun cannot be fitted with a shoulder stock (detachable or otherwise) unless the barrel is at least 16 inches long.

You can convert a pistol into a rifle (with a barrel at or over 16 inches) but you can't cut down a rifle to make a handgun.

Note: We do have so called "pistol" versions of the AR-15 and Thompson carbine. But they were originally made as handguns, and not cut down from rifles.

You can equip a long-barreled handgun with a forearm, but not a vertical grip.

You cannot have a smooth-bored handgun. But if the slightest trace of rifling is left it's then O.K.

You cannot remove or alter the maker's name, address or serial number.

 

[zahc]

You cannot have a smooth-bored handgun. But if the slightest trace of rifling is left it's then O.K.

What about muzzleloading handguns?

I want to take my MKII, put a 16" barrel on it, and make a stock for it. I've always wanted a MkII carbine.

 

[Old Fuff]

You can do whatever you want with a muzzle loader, unless the state, county or city where you live has some kind of a law. Some places have no problem if they are kept as decorators or used in a target shooting or hunting context. But if you load one and carry it concealed on your person you could get in trouble.

Anyway, the Federal 1968 GCA exempts them.

And if you are making a smoothbore make the barrel 2 inches longer (18 inches total) and there shouldn't be any questions at all.

 

[HankB]

In addition to what's already been said, you can't convert a semi-auto to full auto, and you can't attach a suppressor (commonly called a "silencer.")

 

[AJ Dual]

I remember reading somewhere that the purpose of the original short barreled rifle SBR, and short barreled shotgun SBS, NFA codes was that they also intended to make all handguns NFA And that they didn't want people making "handguns" by cutting down rifles and shotguns to get around the ban/tax.

It was later decided that putting all handguns into the NFA would never fly back in 1934, so that idea was dropped, but the short-barreled rifle, and short barreled shotgun items stayed anyway.

I'm not sure if that's true, but that's what I recall..

As another aside, some pistols are covered by the '94 crime bill as well. It restricts having a barrel shroud, magazine forward of the pistol grip, and being over a certian weight. Basically designed to get the "scary-looking" Tec-9 out of production. Like the rifle ban it was an all-three proposition, so you could have a barrel shroud and forward mag if it was under a certian weight (i.e. the new carbon fiber AR pistols...), or no barrel shroud like the Teck-9 knock off the AB-10...

 

[Oleg Volk]

Ammo for some chamberings (5.45x18 Russian) is illegal :-(

 

[Hkmp5sd]

It restricts having a barrel shroud, magazine forward of the pistol grip, and being over a certian weight. Basically designed to get the "scary-looking" Tec-9 out of production. Like the rifle ban it was an all-three proposition, so you could have a barrel shroud and forward mag if it was under a certian weight (i.e. the new carbon fiber AR pistols...), or no barrel shroud like the Teck-9 knock off the AB-10...

Close, but not quite.

(C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of --
(i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;
(ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;
(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;
(iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; and
(v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm;

Essentially, any handgun in which the magazine attaches outside the pistol grip must weigh <50 ounces and can have no other evil features.