President Joe Biden’s abrupt move to regulate one of America’s most popular firearms for plinkers and hunters could turn up to 4 million owners into felons overnight.
Among the six initiatives he is taking in executive actions, Biden is ordering the Justice Department to regulate AR-15-style pistols, the current rage with buyers.
While they can be purchased like longer rifle versions after an FBI background check, AR pistols could soon be subject to a $200 tax and require approval by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a process that already takes nearly a year.
The difference between the two firearms is a “pistol brace” used in the shorter-barreled gun that is for stabilizing the weapon when used like a pistol. It can also be used as a rifle butt stock, thus making it similar to a short-barreled rifle regulated by the Prohibition-era National Firearms Act and subject to the tax. Critics call the pistol brace a loophole.
