On January 31, 2023, the 120-day amnesty period for law-abiding Americans to either register their pistol braces with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) or destroy them prior to the end of the amnesty period. Although there is no official figure for the number of pistol braces in circulation, estimates point to millions of brace being in circulation.
Failure to destroy or register a previously lawfully-owned pistol brace can come with a 10-year prison sentence and up to $250,000 in financial penalties.
“This is government overreach, the expansion of an already unconstitutional registry, and forced destruction of private property – plain and simple,” declared Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights. “We look forward to fighting against this ridiculous registry scheme and holding these anti-gun government bureaucrats accountable for betraying their oath to the U.S. Constitution.”
Stabilizing braces are commonly attached to AR-15 pistols and function as an accessory that makes a gun easier to control and safer for citizens with physical disabilities to shoot. In effect, these accessories don’t do anything to fundamentally alter a firearm’s function.
However, with new definitions from ATF, pistols equipped with braces are now deemed to be de-facto short-barreled rifles. As a result of these new definitions, these firearms would be under the purview of the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the NFA registry.
Virginia Congressman Bob Good recently put forward HR 381 the “PISTOL Act,” which prevents the ATF from redefining braced pistols as short-barreled rifles (SBRs).
In addition, Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde is introducing the SHORT Act which scraps provisions of the NFA and he will also put forward a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act that takes exception to the ATF’s executive authority to change the previous law which allowed Americans to buy pistol braces as an accessory that does not need to be registered.
“We’re thankful that Representatives Good and Clyde are fighting for the Second Amendment – but we need every single pro-gun Member of Congress, especially Speaker Kevin McCarthy, to go the offensive and make this fight a top priority in Congress. I cannot overstate how egregious and malicious the ATF and Biden administration are acting. They’re literally funneling millions of Americans into a gun registry, or demanding they destroy previously legally owned property. Any politician who calls themselves pro-gun should be fighting against this tooth and nail,” Brown said in a concluding statement.
The National Association for Gun Rights stands in firm opposition to the pistol brace prohibition and registry and is pushing for Congress to scrap the ATF’s and Biden regime’s executive action. NAGR is one of the few organizations who can be counted on to consistently oppose every gun grab coming from DC. Few organizations can boast such credentials.
It’s going to take non-stop pressure from no compromise gun organizations to fully restore the Second Amendment in America.