The Government is Dropping Its Controversial Rifle Rule

A few years ago, the agency regulating firearms rolled out a massive change. They looked at stabilizing braces, accessories originally designed to help people safely and comfortably shoot heavy pistols with one hand, and decided that attaching one could transform that pistol into a rifle. That label change was a big deal. It pushed those everyday firearms into a strict regulatory bucket that required federal registration, fingerprinting, photographs, and extra fees. The courts stepped in. A sustained legal blitz spearheaded by organizations like the Firearms Policy Coalition and Gun Owners of America successfully cornered the federal administration. Judges across the country looked at the complex checklist the government created to judge these braces and struck it down. They called the rule impermissibly vague. They ruled the agency did not follow the proper legal procedures to make it. Specifically, the Federal District Court in Texas universally vacated the rule in Mock v. Garland, determining the agency had functionally attempted to rewrite federal law without congressional approval. Following suit, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the agency's unscientific checklist illegally shifted the burden of proof onto everyday citizens, making it nearly impossible for a lawful gun owner to know if they were committing a felony. Because of the immediate lawsuits and injunctions, the government never actually enforced the rule on the public. Adding fatal political pressure, a coalition of 13 Senators formally demanded an immediate halt to all remnant enforcement efforts, forcing the Department of Justice to abandon its legal appeals entirely. Now, they are officially scraping it off the books to clear the air. Here is your reality check. The paperwork nightmare is over. Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) are no longer required to execute ATF Form 1 registrations or demand $200 tax stamp payments for braced pistols, clearing a massive logistical backlog for small business owners. If you want to buy a pistol with a stabilizing brace today, the normal rules apply. You do not have to fill out a special federal transfer application. You are off the hook for the cost of official photographs and fingerprinting. You don't have to worry about finding a specially licensed dealer and paying premium fees just to transfer the gun across state lines. The government itself estimates that dropping this rule saves the average buyer about 165 dollars in lost time, travel, and hidden administrative costs. Beyond individual savings, this deregulation immediately restimulates the secondary accessories market. Optics, grips, and orthotic attachments will surge in retail volume now that buyers no longer fear their custom build will inadvertently trigger a federal raid. There is one basic boundary line to keep in mind. The underlying federal law has not changed. If a weapon is clearly made and intended to be fired from the shoulder, it is still legally considered a rifle. But the confusing, highly technical checklist the government recently tried to use to judge your specific pistol brace is entirely gone. The agency is going back to evaluating guns on a case-by-case basis, leaving everyday buyers free to purchase these accessories without the looming threat of sudden federal red tape. However, do not expect the gun control apparatus to retreat entirely. State-level legislatures will almost certainly attempt to ban stabilizing braces within their individual borders to close the gap left by the federal withdrawal, sparking the next decade of Second Amendment litigation.