AR15 Pistol Question

I know someone who is interested in getting an AR15 pistol and was wondering about the legality of putting some type of shoulder stock on it. Mainly would he run afoul of short barreled rifle laws and is there anything else he would need to know about.

Putting a shoulder stock on any pistol is illegal.*

also, you or your friend may want to read this thread http://forums.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?93536-Update-on-a-former-poster

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*unless you get a $200 tax stamp from the BATFE. Otherwise it is considered a "short-barreled rifle" and is illegal to posess without this stamp.

cite: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/s...tml/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000921----000-.html
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SovereignAxe is correct about the short barreled rifle. If I may offer a bit more technical info concerning the AR.

Make sure the pistol has an actual "pistol" buffer tube. Putting a carbine buffer tube on the lower and then removing the "stock" part will provide "intent" to the prosecutor.

Also, the AR-15 is designed as a modular weapon such that the upper receiver will separate from the lower receiver rather easily via two take-down pins. Typically, uppers and lowers are interchangeable allowing one to buy a lower and then have several uppers of various calibers/barrel lengths which may be mated to the lower to best fit an application. Because of this, it is VERY easy for one to become a felon by simply(accidentally) mating a pistol upper(barrel less than 16 inches) to a rifle lower. Which bring me to this...

Any rifle MUST be purchased AS A RIFLE and MUST REMAIN a RIFLE unless registered as an SBR etc... So... one cannot take ANY rifle lower, remove the stock and mate it to a pistol upper!!! This means that the AR pistol lower must be PURCHASED as a dedicated PISTOL lower. Usually, this is ensured by the manufacturer stamping the word PISTOL on the LOWER. Have your friend very this is the case before purchasing.

Unless said stock is easily removable (i.e.: not retractable, foldable or otherwise).

No Foregrip either

You can't put a Foregrip rail on a pistol either. That makes it an "other assault weapon".

les_aker said:

You can't put a Foregrip rail on a pistol either. That makes it an "other assault weapon".

Click to expand...

I'm just curious but how does a front rail make it an "other assault weapon" as I know my XDm has a front rail and in one of the S&W magazines at work they have a pistol that has a bipod attached to it.

EDIT: Found it. It's not that it's an "other assault weapon" it's that it becomes labelled as an "any other weapon (AOW)" and is subject to the $200 tax to initially register it. But transferring an AOW only costs $5 as opposed to the $200 tax for the transfer of SBRs, SBSs, and Suppressors.

Wow.

FUD all the way around.

An AR pistol is an AR lower, NEVER having been barreled and assembled as an upper, that has a buffer tube that CAN NOT readily accept a stock, and DOES NOT have a VERTICAL grip attached.

Attaching a stock to an AR pistol makes it a short barreled rifle
Attaching a VERTICAL pistol grip to an AR pistol makes it an AOW or 'any other weapon'.

You MAY attach an ANGLED fore grip (per ATF).

Just because federal law allows it, doesn't mean the state does. Check your state restrictions.