Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces'
On January 13th, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued a Final Rule titled “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces.”
Under this rule, owners of all firearms equipped with Pistol Stabilizing Braces will be forced to choose between registering their lawfully owned brace-equipped firearms, or taking other drastic action such as surrendering it to the federal government, destroying it, or facing criminal liability. In our opinion, the real-world impact is to make it more difficult for law-abiding gun owners to exercise their Constitutional rights.
Cliff Notes version of new ruling:
This rule was posted to the Federal Register on 01/31/2023. In this new ruling, any owner of a brace-equipped firearm with a barrel shorter than 16" is expected do one of the following within 120 days:
OPTION 1: Register the braced pistol as an SBR by filing a Form 1 through the ATF's E-file system. During the 120 day "grace period" this service is free (generally it is $200 per firearm). Link to E-file - https://eforms.atf.gov/login
OPTION 2: Remove and destroy the brace
OPTION 3: Add a 16" long barrel, thereby removing the firearm from NFA restrictions.
OPTION 4: Surrender the weapon to the ATF
OPTION 5: Non-compliance
So what does this mean to me, the consumer?
We feel this new ruling is in direct violation of our Constitutional rights as firearm owners and, at some point, the ruling may be overturned. That being said, it could be a long battle, and there are no guarantees. It took 3 years for the Bump-stock ban to be overturned. In the meantime, everyone has a decision to make - compliance in the form of one of the options above, or non-compliance.- Option 4 - We are doubtful that any of you will choose surrendering your firearm.
- Option 3 - Not practical in 50% of none-AR applications.
- Option 2 - A quick-fix but leaves you with a firearm that is not very useful for self defense or sport shooting.
- Option 1 - If you were already considering filing a Form 1 for your firearm, register your firearm as an SBR.
- Non-compliance - While we strongly support the Second Amendment and joined this fight a long time ago, we do feel that the ATF is ready to make examples of some people to prove a point. If you wish to help, we strongly suggest visiting and donating to the Firearms Coalition Regulatory Coalition - FRAC or Gun Owners of America - GOA. They have many valuable links that explain all of your legal options of fighting this battle.
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A3 Tactical Inc. wants to work with you through this transition if it is forced upon us. For those of you that plan to file a Form 1, all A3 Tactical Modular and Telescoping braces can easily be converted to stocks by simply removing the brace end and installing any of our butt-plates. For the next 6 months we will allow customers to purchase our butt-plates for 50% off. Please contact us through the form below to obtain the proper coupon code if you wish to take advantage of this offer. |
Why are you still selling braces if they will be illegal soon?
It is not our intent to "dump" all of our brace inventory on unsuspecting customers. We urge all potential buyers to evaluate their options before purchasing. That being said, because our Modular braces are truly "Modular", they can easily be converted to stocks. It is still a less costly option to purchase a brace, register it for free, and then convert it to a stock by adding a butt-plate. You cannot take advantage of the free stamp option by registering a stock, it has to be a brace. If this is unclear, please contact us through the form below and we can answer your questions or further clarify the rules as we understand them.
For more info, you can follow the links below:
ATF official ruling:
Insight into the history of braces and a breakdown of the new ruling:
An informative article about the new ruling:
The fight is ON!: