So you’ve got a “pistol” with a support brace. Welcome to the club, along with around 30 million other Americans.
The ATF issued new rules at the end of January, defining previously “allowed” components as now rendering your handgun a “short-barreled rifle” (SBR) as of May 30th.
May 30th is rapidly approaching. You have until then to take efforts to be legally compliant with federal regulations.
Right now, it is unlikely that the new rule will be blocked by a countrywide injunction. So it’s time to get started. You can do nothing, but if you choose the “Molon Labe” option, you risk serious time in Club Fed.
If you want to preserve your braced gun in its current configuration, you must register it with the BATF as a “Short-Barreled Rifle” using eForm 1.
In Illinois, you must hold a Curios & Relics Federal Firearms License to own a “short-barreled rifle.” You will also need two hard copies of your fingerprint cards.
You have only enough time to apply for your C&R license. ATF normally takes three weeks to process. You can apply through the BATF website (search for “FFL license application“).
Go to the BATF website, find the eForm 1, and begin filling it out. For the new rule-making to be fully legal, you must apply for the license before the May 30th effective date.
Do you not care about maintaining the present configuration? No worries. To be legal, remove the support brace and any mounting hardware. In AR-platform rifles, the sub-16″ barreled upper can be replaced with a 16+” barreled upper.
You can also permanently attach a lengthy flash suppressor. The only issue is that, according to the new Illinois Firearm Ban Act, said flash suppressor is now a felony item.
The other options are to give them to the authorities or to destroy them. Neither of those solutions appears to be particularly appealing.