Help me understand legality of custom AR pistol?

[j_h_smith]

I wonder how many people know the law and how many people are breaking the law without even knowing it? Reason I say this, is I was watching a video about a guy owning an AR pistol and he was making a video about putting a stock on his pistol (not a brace). But even worse than that, his pistol was configured with a forward grip. Thus making it a AOW. He had been breaking the law and was going to break another law.

People just don't know most of the time.

Sad!

 

[outrider58]

Under federal regulations, once a receiver is designated as being built into a firearm in a given configuration (i.e., rifle or pistol) it can never be used for something else. So if, for example, you want to build yourself a lever-action mare's leg, you MUST make or buy a receiver that has NEVER been made into a rifle. You can't just take a lever-action rifle and cut it down to create a mare's leg.

The same goes for the AR platform. You have to be sure that any lower you may purchase was only ever sold as a receiver, and NOT as part of a firearm that was manufactured as a rifle. Since lowers are quite common on the market, be careful to determine for certain the provenance of any lower you are considering purchasing. If it was EVER part of a gun that was manufactured, registered, or sold as a rifle you cannot use it for a pistol.

To the best of my knowledge, you can convert a home pistol built AR into a rifle, then covert it back to pistol form. You can not convert any rifle into a pistol.

 

[dblas]

To the best of my knowledge, you can convert a home pistol built AR into a rifle, then covert it back to pistol form. You can not convert any rifle into a pistol.

This applies to any handgun, not just home built ones.

 

[gmkoh]

With respect to VFG and pistols, is that prohibition OAL dependent?
I read, on a non authoritarian site, a couple posts to the effect that is the OAL of the pistol was 26 inches or more, a VFG was allowed and wondered if it were true

 

[dblas]

With respect to VFG and pistols, is that prohibition OAL dependent?
I read, on a non authoritarian site, a couple posts to the effect that is the OAL of the pistol was 26 inches or more, a VFG was allowed and wondered if it were true

If the OAL is +26", ATF does not classify it as a pistol, but rather a firearm, at which point a VFG is good to go.

 

[gmkoh]

If the OAL is +26", ATF does not classify it as a pistol, but rather a firearm, at which point a VFG is good to go.

So by ATF classification, with a brace ( not a stock) and a barrel less than 16 inches, it would be a pistol (handgun) with an OAL less than 26", and a firearm (other) if the OAL were greater than 26 ", but with a stabilizer, not a stock, never a rifle?
And the greater than 26 OAL would be a legal configuration in Maryland?

 

[Biggfoot44]

It's fairly simple if you don't get distracted by arm braces .

Pistol = <26 in
Not Pistol => 26in

( Built as a Virgin , never had stock, etc .)

 

[XRider]

This thread reminds me of something I heard from an ATF official a couple years ago. They were discussing some new law Obama wanted that created additional confusing paperwork that could cause problems if not filled out correctly.
The offical contered with " We are obvioulsy not going to arrest people for paperwork crimes" my thought at the time was, UMMM isn't that pretty much what the ATF does...