The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is poised to add millions of gun owners to The NFA Registry.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has released a notice detailing its plan to update regulations for stabilizing braces, which would reclassify the most popular sporting pistol into Short Barrel Rifles. Stabilizing braces were initially created to help individuals with disabilities shoot comfortably, but they have become a trendy firearm accessory that allows AR-style pistols to be adapted legally for shoulder shooting.

According to the ATF, stabilizing braces must meet strict guidelines to be considered legal; otherwise, they, along with the gun to which they are connected, will automatically be regulated as a rifle under the National Firearms Act.

The ATF and the DOJ have tried to control this trendy accessory before, and a similar reclassification was proposed in December but was shot down due to pushback from legislators and the firearm community.

After pistol-braced firearms were used in two recent, high-profile mass shootings, however, the ATF has returned to the issue and appears more motivated than ever. After the ATF notice was released, over 130 representatives sent a letter to the agency, requesting that the bureau withdraw the rule.

Most importantly, lawmakers reminded the ATF that it had claimed for the past decade that stabilizing braces had legitimate uses. Nonetheless, the ATF claimed that this new classification would not affect braces developed to assist persons with disabilities.

However, their proposed point-based worksheet of stabilizing brace criteria does not make this clear for firearm owners.

At 52 pages, the complex proposal is so lengthy and establishes such specific requirements that law-abiding citizens will have no idea whether their firearm is still legal.

ATF factoring rules

Fifth Circuit Issues Injunction on ATF Pistol Stabilizing Brace Ban

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has just issued a preliminary injunction against the unconstitutional attack by the DOJ and ATF on firearms with a pistol stabilizing brace. The lawsuit, filed by the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and other plaintiffs, resulted in this temporary injunction just days before the ATF’s mandatory registration grace period was set to end on the 31st. You can see the full article here

We will be posting updates here as they come. Stay tuned!