Only 10% of Pistol Braces Registered with ATF on Time.

Only 255,162 of the millions of pistol stabilizing braces known to be in civilian hands have been registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by the May 31 deadline set by the agency.

Are you one of the millions of pistol brace owners who missed the May 31 deadline to register your device with the ATF? You’re not alone. In fact, only a small fraction of owners complied with the agency’s final rule, which required registration or permanent removal of the brace.

According to Erik Longnecker, deputy chief of the ATF’s Public Affairs Division, the agency is “unable to estimate the number of possessors of such firearms that used either of these methods to comply with the final rule. Likewise, we have no data currently available for the number of firearms abandoned to ATF.”

What You Need to Know

• Owners of pistols with unregistered devices could be charged with a felony and face up to 10 years in prison, $10,000 in fines, or both.
• The ATF issued criteria on Jan. 13, 2022, outlining that pistol stabilizing braces converted pistols into short-barreled rifles (SBR), which are regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1968.
• The rule went into effect on Jan. 31, 2022.
• The ATF set a 120-day amnesty period in which owners of pistols equipped with the devices could register them without paying the $200 NFA tax. The amnesty period expired on May 31, 2022.

Longnecker would not elaborate on how the ATF would enforce the rule, but parties in at least three lawsuits are protected while their cases are being heard.

Legal Challenges

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction just before the deadline, which has protected Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) members and Maxim Defense customers from the rule. Judges also issued injunctions in one lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and another lawsuit by Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundations (GOF), and the State of Texas.

According to the FPC website, the court will hear oral arguments in its case, Mock v. Garland, on June 29. FPC did not return a call seeking comment.

Joining FPC as plaintiffs are Samuel Walley, William Green, and Rainier Arms, LLC. They are suing the ATF, ATF Director Steve Dettelbach, the Department of Justice, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

On its website, GOA posted statements vowing to fight what the group considers an unconstitutional rule. The GOF called on Congress to take action to rein in the ATF.