Ive been totally facinated by the "toys & gimmics" going around and the SB15 & SB47 stabilizing braces has been one of them. So just found this and was wondering if anyone could refute this information.
Gear Review: SIGTac SB15 Pistol Stabilizing Brace | The Truth About Guns
this is a cut from the article for those cautious about clicking links.
Legal Stuff
As the cuff portion of the brace is made of somewhat firm rubber, a shooter can use the Pistol Brace as a shoulder stock when braced against the body. The concern: doing so would turn the pistol into an illegal short-barreled rifle. According to ATF’s logic, conclusion and ultimately its Approval Letter – no. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (and Really Big Fires) sent inventor Bosco a definitive missive, downloadable here, stating that . . .
Shouldering the pistol brace would be a misuse of the brace. By that, I mean it would be used in a manner not consistent with its intended purpose. Using a device in a manner that’s different from its intended purpose does not necessarily make its use, or the device itself, illegal.
Shouldering a pistol buffer tube does not turn an AR pistol into a short-barreled rifle. Use of a bipod mounted on a pistol as a forward vertical grip (see Ruger 10/22 Charger pistol with bipod) does not convert the pistol into an illegal AOW. Likewise, firing a pistol using two hands does not convert it into a rifle even though the definition of a pistol is a firearm designed to be fired with one hand.
The ATF approved the use of the product as a brace for shooting a pistol one-handed. Using it differently than intended does not change the classification of the device or the firearm. Case closed.
© 2013 The Truth About Guns
Gear Review: SIGTac SB15 Pistol Stabilizing Brace | The Truth About Guns
this is a cut from the article for those cautious about clicking links.
Legal Stuff
As the cuff portion of the brace is made of somewhat firm rubber, a shooter can use the Pistol Brace as a shoulder stock when braced against the body. The concern: doing so would turn the pistol into an illegal short-barreled rifle. According to ATF’s logic, conclusion and ultimately its Approval Letter – no. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (and Really Big Fires) sent inventor Bosco a definitive missive, downloadable here, stating that . . .
the submitted forearm brace, when attached to a firearm does not convert that weapon to be fired from the shoulder and would not alter the classification of a pistol or other firearm. While a firearm so equipped would still be regulated by the Gun Control Act, such a firearm would NOT BE subject to NFA controls.
The aforementioned paragraph allows the brace to be used on a firearm (pistol or rifle) without converting it to a weapon that would be subject to NFA rules. This also opens a can of worms, but more on that later.
Shouldering the pistol brace would be a misuse of the brace. By that, I mean it would be used in a manner not consistent with its intended purpose. Using a device in a manner that’s different from its intended purpose does not necessarily make its use, or the device itself, illegal.
Shouldering a pistol buffer tube does not turn an AR pistol into a short-barreled rifle. Use of a bipod mounted on a pistol as a forward vertical grip (see Ruger 10/22 Charger pistol with bipod) does not convert the pistol into an illegal AOW. Likewise, firing a pistol using two hands does not convert it into a rifle even though the definition of a pistol is a firearm designed to be fired with one hand.
The ATF approved the use of the product as a brace for shooting a pistol one-handed. Using it differently than intended does not change the classification of the device or the firearm. Case closed.
© 2013 The Truth About Guns
