We recently reported on how the Trump Administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is still enforcing the Biden-era pistol brace rule, despite that rule being killed.
In a March 16 court filing, the ATF quietly admitted that it continues to enforce its interpretation that some pistol-brace-equipped firearms are unregistered short-barreled rifles (SBRs)—a federal felony carrying up to 10 years in prison—despite the fact that the rule that codified that interpretation has been universally vacated.
Angered by the revelation, Gun Owners of America (GOA) is calling on its members to contact their representatives in Congress, demanding they hold the Department of Justice (DOJ) accountable in the matter.
“A federal court vacated the Biden pistol brace ban,” GOA wrote in a national alert to members. “President Trump campaigned on ending it. Bondi’s DOJ is still enforcing it anyway.”
As GOA pointed out in the alert, President Donald Trump said he’d do away with the pistol brace rule during the campaign.
“President Trump promised twice on the campaign trail to end the pistol brace ban on day one,” the alert stated. “He said it in Indianapolis in 2023. He said it again in Harrisburg in 2024. His own DOJ is now proving those promises were never kept.”
The matter is an important one because so many Americans can be negatively affected by it without even knowing it.
“This matters because ATF has refused to issue classification letters telling owners which pistol braces are legal, unless it’s in a criminal case,” GOA wrote. “That means every single gun owner with a pistol brace is a potential target for felony charges.”
The alert also noted that GOA leadership has gone directly to senior DOJ officials and raised concerns about the enforcement of the vacated law. However, they’ve received no indication that the ATF plans to reverse course.
In the alert, GOA provides a link to a pre-written letter to Congress that members can easily and quickly sign onto and have sent to their congressman or woman.
“I am writing as a constituent and law-abiding gun owner to demand that you take immediate action to hold the Department of Justice accountable for its continued, unlawful targeting of pistol brace owners,” the letter states. “Millions of Americans purchased pistol braces in good faith and in full compliance with ATF guidance at the time of purchase. They should not face the threat of felony prosecution for exercising their constitutional rights.”
Stabilizing braces have been around for nearly 15 years and were initially approved by the ATF, which said attaching one to a pistol did not reclassify the firearm as an SBR, later repeating that in 2014.
In 2014, the agency doubled down, confirming that even shouldering a braced pistol didn’t change its classification. That reassurance helped drive adoption to an estimated 7 to 10 million Americans.
However, in 2023, the Biden Administration created a sweeping administrative rule that effectively classified the vast majority of braced pistols as unregistered SBRs. That rule was vacated early in the Trump Administration.
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