White House Receives New Pistol Stabilizing Device Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. -(Ammoland.com)-The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Justice have sent the rule surrounding pistol stabilizing devices to the White House for Presidential review.

After the 2020 Presidential election, President Joe Biden called on the ATF to change regulations around pistol braces and unfinished frames and receivers. The ATF drafted a proposed rule dealing with unfinished frames and receivers thirty days later. Then a month later, the ATF unveiled its proposed regulations around firearms with pistol stabilizing devices.

During the open comment period, the Federal Registry received just under 300,000 public comments on the proposed frames and receiver rule. The proposed pistol stabilizing device rule received a little more than 250,000 public comments. The vast majority of the comments opposed the new anti-gun rules. The ATF continued to move forward with the rule-making process despite the general public disdain for the new regulations. This rule was the second time a pistol stabilizing rule was proposed. The December, before the final rule proposal, a public comment period was opened on another attempt at introducing a new rule, but the ATF pulled the rule before the comment period closed.

If the final draft rule is any indication, the new rule will treat the vast majority of firearms with pistol stabilizing devices as short barreled rifles (SBR) or short barreled shotguns (SBS). The statute does not ban pistol stabilizing devices but does regulate the firearm utilizing the brace. Companies that make braces can still make the items, but if the ATF treats the stabilizing devices as stocks, the market for pistol stabilizing devices will be small.

It is believed that the new rule will have an amnesty period for gun owners to register their pistols equipped with a stabilizing brace as an SBR or SBS.

In early September, AmmoLand News discovered an ATF request for increased funding for this proposed amnesty period. There are only rumors of the exact number of days in the amnesty period, but a similar period was introduced after the announcement of the frames and receiver rule. That rule saw a 120-day amnesty period. It is logical to conclude that the new amnesty period will have a similar number of days.

Some think President Biden will schedule a press conference like he did when he held a press conference in the Rose Garden to unveil the final frame rule. When the text of the frames and receiver rule was announced, the President invited anti-gun advocates and politicians, including David Hogg, to the White House for a ceremony. Pro-gun advocates saw this press conference as President Biden “spiking the football.”

The White House has not announced when the new rule will be unleashed on the American gun owner. When the final rule is revealed, a slew of lawsuits challenging the regulation is expected to be filed. The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has already filed a lawsuit challenging the yet-to-be-unveiled rule, but the case has been stayed until the end of December to give time for the rule to be unveiled.

The White House did not return AmmoLand’s request for comment.

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.