ATF Proposed Rule to Make Pistols
More Concealable, More Taxed

On 7 June, 2021, the Attorney General signed a "proposed rule" about the regulation of arm braces for pistols. The ATF has put the "proposed rule" on its website.

The "proposed rule" can be seen as a trial balloon. It has no legal authority, as it has not been officially published in the Federal Register. Once officially published, the public can make comments for 90 days once the proposed rule has been published.

Significantly, the Attorney General, Merrick Garland signed this trial balloon, and not the acting head of the ATF.

The proposed rule is 71 pages of details only a bureaucrat would love.

The document arbitrarily states short barreled rifles and shotguns are "dangerous and unusual". Of course, all weapons are dangerous, otherwise they would not be weapons. But all weapons are not unusual.

Banning short barreled rifles and shotguns was not the intent of the law in 1934.

The intent was to regulate concealable firearms, especially pistols, and particularly, sawed off shotguns. Sawed off rifles were added, virtually as an afterthought. This is why the overall length of 26 inches was included.

It makes no sense to consider short barreled rifles as "dangerous and unusual" but to have pistols as constitutionally protected. The NRA lobbied congress to remove pistols from the law, which was done. Short barreled shotguns and rifles were left in as booby prizes for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. .....