The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) filed new regulations on January 13th, 2023 that requires that certain rifles with a stabilizing brace to be classified as short-barreled rifles. Rule submission 2021R-08F, titled “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces’’” was signed by the US Attorney General, which clears the way for the rule to become active once it is published in the Federal Register.. Owners of an estimated 3 to 7 million reclassified firearms will then be required to:
- register for a federal license within 120 days,
- remove the stabilizing brace from their firearm,
- replace the short barrel with a barrel 16-inches or longer, or
- surrender the firearm to the ATF.
The rule has language that waives the usual fees and taxes required for registering similar firearms – if the firearm is registered within the 120-day period. Registering is done using ATF Form 1, Application to Make and Register a Firearm. Form 1 has been an eForm since November so you will need to become registered to submit an eForm on the ATF website to begin the process. Registration is on the ATF website, or use the link below under references as a place to start reading before you register. But note that the link for registering under this rule is different than the regular Form 1 page.
The ATF guidance on the process states that you can send in fingerprint cards or use an electronic fingerprint submission. We can provide you with either FD-258 fingerprint cards or an Electronic Fingerprint Transmission (EFT) file depending on which process you choose when submitting Form 1. To set up your appointment to be fingerprinted, use the appointment link on our website.
References:
General information: https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/factoring-criteria-firearms-attached-stabilizing-braces
Start point specific to registering under this rule: https://eforms-form1.atf.gov/login