I don't understand short rifles

Rifleman1776 · March 16, 2011, 09:17 AM

Could someone explain why a rifle-handgun is OK and a rifle converted to one hand use is illegal?
Or why putting a short barrel and handgun grips on a TC convertible frame is illegal when they sell a (identical?) handgun version?
Color me confused.

rjrivero · March 16, 2011, 10:21 AM

You're asking someone to make sense out of the NFA? Good luck.

Willie Lowman · March 16, 2011, 10:34 AM

Because they (the ATF) said so.

It goes back to 1934. The National Firearms Act was passed to make the illegal behaviors of bank robing gangs more illegal by outlawing their guns of choice. Short rifles and shotguns being among those.

In the end it isn't going to make sense. That is the best way I can explain it.

mavracer · March 16, 2011, 11:27 AM

let me first state that I am not a lawyer, however it is only Illegal with a TC if you have the butt stock attached with a barrel shorter than 16".
However it still makes no sense.

Poodleshooter · March 16, 2011, 11:29 AM

Because as originally proposed, the law was comprehensive to all short firearms.
Handguns were originally to be regulated as Title II weapons, but were exempted at some point in the process.

So as originally proposed, the NFA "made sense" so far as its goal of requiring registration of all concealable firearms.

rjrivero · March 16, 2011, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poodleshooter

Because as originally proposed, the law was comprehensive to all short firearms.
Handguns were originally to be regulated as Title II weapons, but were exempted at some point in the process.

So as originally proposed, the NFA "made sense" so far as its goal of requiring registration of all concealable firearms.

Interestingly enough, silencers were originally left out of the NFA. The concern was that they were used for poaching during the great depression, so silencers were a last minute addition to the NFA Registry, and the handguns were leveraged out.

Yellowfin · March 21, 2011, 12:26 PM

And the only reason they made poaching enough of an issue to include silencers in the NFA was because the government wanted full control of the food supply to enforce its price and supply controls.

March 16, 2011, 09:17 AM	#1
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	I don't understand short rifles Could someone explain why a rifle-handgun is OK and a rifle converted to one hand use is illegal? Or why putting a short barrel and handgun grips on a TC convertible frame is illegal when they sell a (identical?) handgun version? Color me confused.

March 16, 2011, 10:34 AM	#3
Willie Lowman Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: Uh-Hi-O Posts: 3,006	Because they (the ATF) said so. It goes back to 1934. The National Firearms Act was passed to make the illegal behaviors of bank robing gangs more illegal by outlawing their guns of choice. Short rifles and shotguns being among those. In the end it isn't going to make sense. That is the best way I can explain it. __________________ "9mm has a very long history of being a pointy little bullet moving quickly" --Sevens

March 21, 2011, 12:26 PM	#7
Yellowfin Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2007 Location: Lancaster Co, PA Posts: 2,311	And the only reason they made poaching enough of an issue to include silencers in the NFA was because the government wanted full control of the food supply to enforce its price and supply controls. __________________ Students for Concealed Carry on Campus http://www.concealedcampus.org "You can't stop insane people from doing insane things by passing insane laws--that's insane!" - Penn Jillette

March 16, 2011, 10:21 AM	#2
rjrivero Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 1,399	You're asking someone to make sense out of the NFA? Good luck.

March 16, 2011, 11:29 AM	#5
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	Because as originally proposed, the law was comprehensive to all short firearms. Handguns were originally to be regulated as Title II weapons, but were exempted at some point in the process. So as originally proposed, the NFA "made sense" so far as its goal of requiring registration of all concealable firearms.