“The guidance, posted on the Federal Register on Dec. 18, would have reconsidered pistols with stabilizing braces to be “short-barreled rifles” which are a controlled class of weapon under the National Firearms Act. The change would have required gun owners to either turn in their firearms or register their pistols as NFA firearms and pay a $200 tax stamp if the weapon is accepted. Failure to comply would have made the owners of previously legal pistols felons under the NFA.
The proposed ATF guidance would have required millions of gun owners to either turn in their guns or register them with the government, causing a national uproar from millions across the country.
In a notice announcing its decision to withdraw the proposed guidance and requests for public comment on the potential reclassification of these firearms, the ATF said, “Upon further consultation with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, ATF is withdrawing, pending further Department of Justice review, the notice and request for comments entitled ‘Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces’,’ that was published on December 18, 2020.”
Reacting to the ATF’s notice, the National Rifle Association tweeted, “JUST IN: The ATF withdrew its guidance on pistol stabilizing braces. Thank you to all @NRA members, gun owners, pro-2A members of Congress, @SenateMajLdr McConnell, @RepRichHudson, and all who helped strike down the @ATFHQ’s unsuccessful overreach.
BREAKING: @RepRichHudson and 89 other members of Congress signed a letter opposing ATF’s recent pistol brace guidance. Thank you to all NRA members and gun owners who contacted their members of Congress and demanded they protect #2A.”
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