Komrad "Shotgun" - How Is This Not NFA?

[dogtown tom]

Forte S+W Because the ATF says so, and that's the bottom line.

If Thompson Center had taken that defeatist attitude we wouldn't have the ability now to convert a pistol to rifle and back to pistol.

Folks need to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth and be grateful that they can now legally own what is essentially a short barrel shotgun without having to play "Mother, May I?" with the authorities, pay $200, and wait for them to grant you approval.

Sorry, it's not a "gift horse". ATF doesn't give gifts, the Second Amendment recognizes the right of the people to keep and bear arms. ATF is required to enforce federal firearms laws that restrict that Second Amendment. That ATF has restricted a particular type of firearm isn't a gift.

Also, folks need to stop being so paranoid and assuming that these will be reclassified just because Bump Stocks were.

Until Trump is out of office anything is possible.

Honestly, this isn't the first time that something that is essentially a SBS has been classified otherwise, it happened before in the 80s with the Serbu Super Shorty, then again in the 90s with the Thompson Center Arms Contender and MIL Thunder 5, and so on with the Taurus Judge, S&W Governor, Magnum Research BFR, and most recently the Mossberg Shockwave. If none of the previous aforementioned firearms have been reclassified, then why do you assume the most recent incarnations will? Bump Stocks?

Wait what? I think you have some reading to do.
"Essentially" has nothing to do with anything.

-Serbu Super Shorty was and is either an SBS or an AOW. (if under 26"OAL)
-TC Contender was perfectly legal, until ATF said "uh, we think that might be illegal" Thompson Center sued and the USSC agreed.
-Mil Thunder 5/Taurus Judge/S&W Governor/NR BFR....all are perfectly legal because they meet the definition of a handgun. Not having a smooth bore keeps them out of the NFA. Nothing new, its been that way since 1934. That they can fire a .410 shotgun shell has no bearing on anything.
"Reclassifying"? Well, ATF did. Took nineteen years before ATF issued a Ruling on the TC Contender. Reclassifying any of those others would simply mean a change in definition.....exactly what ATF did with bumpstocks. They changed the definition of "machine gun".

Are we really going to pretend that the situation is the same and ignore what prompted said reclassification? Because I strongly doubt that anyone will attempt a mass shooting with a Mossberg Shockwave or the like, especially given their limited capacity and heavy recoil making them difficult to control.

Politics prompted the reclassification. Jusy as it will the next restrictions on frearms.

Besides, what's realistically the worst that could possibly happen?

Really?

The ATF reclassifies PGO Firearms as Short Barrel Shotguns so everyone has to either have them registered or remove the 14" Barrel from their Shockwave/TAC-14/Whatever, turn it in, then swap it out for an 18.5" Barrel?

Well, it worked for bumpstocks didn't it?

The horror! Better not buy one and enjoy it on the off chance that it gets reclassified at some point in time in the future! Seriously, with that attitude you might as well not buy any firearms at all because Lord knows we have enough folks pushing for Gun Control and eventually they might get their way. Don't live your life today, but fear what tomorrow may bring and make all your decisions based on the absolute worst case scenario, or perhaps even an overly pessimistic and highly unlikely scenario. What kind of defeatist attitude is that?

Wait.....aren't you the guy who wrote "Because the ATF says so, and that's the bottom line." ?????

 

[griz]

I don't usually reply to resurected threads, but I thought this point was worth making.

Besides, what's realistically the worst that could possibly happen?

The worst that could happen is a law abiding individual could buy one, and not being all that interested in guns, assume that it would be legal forever. Then s/he could become a felon overnight without even knowing it. The situation where they get caught doesn't happen that often, but these laws do catch people in that trap.

 

[kozak6]

I'm with Pops and Catchabullet.

If it's the kind of thing you are interested in, buy it and shoot it as much as you can.

I think it's only a matter of time until they get banned. All it takes is one high profile crime or a suitably inclined POTUS. The thing is, the actual laws are written very sloppily and the ATF gets to decide what they really mean. If they can change their opinion to secure a prosecution, or if the Commander in Chief says so, that's it.

And in all fairness, deciding that barrel length has no bearing on what is "concealable" is probably a bad call since it's inconsistent with the rest of the NFA. Oh well, it's not like the parts of the NFA that were written by the actual lawmakers make much sense anyways.

 

[dogtown tom]

kozak6

And in all fairness, deciding that barrel length has no bearing on what is "concealable" is probably a bad call since it's inconsistent with the rest of the NFA. Oh well, it's not like the parts of the NFA that were written by the actual lawmakers make much sense anyways.

It makes perfect sense when you learn that the original draft of the 1934 NFA would have taxed all concealable firearms.....and that included handguns.

Colt, S&W and a few other handgun manufacturers managed to get handguns removed right before passage.....and thats why "concealability" is still a factor on firearms that are neither handgun or long guns.