Texas-Book-Gun Law Armed And Educated - Flipbook - Page 455
extending from the back of the receiver to compensate for the
firearm’s recoil. In recent years it has become a trend that some
manufacturers and DIY firearm hobbyists will attach a device to
this buffer tube, called an “arm brace” or “stabilizing brace.” This
is an accessory, typically made of plastic and Velcro that wraps
around the shooter’s forearm, enabling him or her to have better
aim and recoil control. When the arm brace was first developed,
it had the appearance of a telescoping shoulder stock. Attaching
a shoulder stock to a traditional handgun or AR-style pistol with
a barrel length under 16 inches turns the handgun into an NFA
weapon, which is only allowed upon the approval of an ATF Form
1. Many manufacturers of these stabilizing braces have sought preapproval from the ATF’s Firearms Technology Industry Services
Branch to confirm that their devices did not turn AR pistols into
SBRs. In a somewhat confusing series of letters and statements, the
ATF has historically taken the position that the stabilizing brace,
when used as manufactured and intended, does not make an AR
pistol into an SBR or AOW. However, as of the publishing of this
book, the ATF has floated the idea of regulating arm braces under
the NFA; stay tuned.
If an individual installing and using a brace made any alterations
with the intent to use it as a shoulder stock, such as adding padding
or taping the sides of the brace together, and they did not get
approval with a Form 1 and pay the $200 tax, they could be subject
to prosecution for illegally making an NFA weapon. Further, if a
person does affix a stabilizing brace to a pistol, a vertical foregrip
cannot be added because the ATF has determined that this addition
alters the character of the firearm so that it is no longer a pistol
(since it is not designed to be fired with one hand).
444 | CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
