Amazon.com has AR accessories

[keith13b]

<LOL> Now who is giving the bad advise?? Contacting your local BATF office is the dumbest thing you can do.. Most of the time they do not know the law and will give you bad advise.. And to make it worse, if they tell you something wrong, you cannot say you spoke to the local office as a defense..

My apologizies for not being specific. Contact them in writing - I have, and have received written guidance which I can always use in the event of any confussion. They are easy to deal with and provide you with the most recent information. We pay their salaries, so lets get our $'s worth out of them!

But claiming anyone doing so is an idiot is rather rude and rather unnecessary..

I had a hint of humor when making that statement - I should have used a smiley! But you are guilty yourself - I put it in bold above. but I didn't take offence.

It is so nice to know we have folks on this list who absolutely know every possible senario, and can make such broad announcements..

Where did this come from? Quite the contrary - I never admitted to being an expert and gave a recommendation to get professional advice. Which is the safest route to take.

Really? This came straight from the SCOTUS and the BATFE...did you even read the posts thoroughly for context?...I thought not.

You are correct, sir - that is a rather new ruling.

Your type of internet jockeying is precisely why the ATF issued the ruling in July 2011. Before you come on the forum shot gunning folks maybe you ought to read for comprehension (and take your own advice) and do your homework first..

Making a comment about wasting $200 and recommending someone to get professional clarification is not what I would consider "internet jockeying". If my comments offended you - my apologizies. Sometimes lightful humor and sarcasm don't come out in written replies. Now if the OP took my advice and contacted the field office in writing, I'm sure they would have replied with the latest ruling. Is that really bad advice?

An SBR is worth more? YGBSM...

$200 more to be exact - if its sold as a regular rifle, then chances are the $200 invested couldn't be recovered in the sale price which explains why SBR rifles sell for more $$ than reg rifles even though the new buyer still has to pay the additional $200 stamp. I'm no gun dealer, but most SBR's I see being sold are considerbly more money. A basic AR can be had nowadays for in the $500-600 range. I don't think I've seen a SBR for below $1K. I could be wrong, but that is just my observation.

I don't post to stir the pot, so if it was taken that way - well it is what it is. I still stand behind my comment on contacting the people who regulate the laws. If I have a question on a building permit for my house, I would contact the County permitting office.

Can't we all just get along?

[BjornF16]

problem is the written word doesn't always come across as we intend...my apologies.

The problem I see with your rationale on the SBR is that transferring it is another $200 tax fee (plus the current 5-7 month wait). Variable is correct, a "factory" SBR may be worth more than a home-built/stamped SBR (which I was referring to). But there could be many reasons to de-register (none of which I am currently in or have ever been in). The most likely scenario I can see is if I passed away leaving my wife the SBR (as part of my gun trust) and she didn't want to deal with the "hassle" and reconfigured to rifle to sell quickly. The homebuilt SBR does cost $200 for the stamp, but you'll never re-coup it. In my case, I saved more than $200 in building/stamping my own versus buying a SBR direct from a manufacturer...so I'm not really "out" the $200.

I would add one caveat to my arguments about back and forth: After consulting with my lawyer, buying a complete rifle (already assembled) probably would be too far into the gray zone for comfort for back and forth re-configurations (none of my guns were bought as complete rifles). Building up from parts (i.e. self assembled kit) should be safe for back and forth rifle/pistol. My original responses included references/links to the BATFE ruling and was not my own "opinion". (apologies to fkleinbu as I think this is what his OP was referring to)

[ibgp3]

I asked about the legalities because it looked like the Amazon site offers the uninformed an opportunity to get into serious trouble.

After several pages of answers I'm coming to the conclusion that informed people with good legal advice can get tripped up.

[BjornF16]

I asked about the legalities because it looked like the Amazon site offers the uninformed an opportunity to get into serious trouble.

After several pages of answers I'm coming to the conclusion that informed people with good legal advice can get tripped up.

TxGunner gave sound advice in his reply to you earlier...buying a lower as a pistol from FFL dealer than adding the pistol length upper is fine. The trouble starts when swapping barrels/stocks.

The real problem is the ATF writes in a confusing manner instead of being straightforward, and the various branches give conflicting opinions. Even lawyers will give differing opinions.

To be safe, going back and forth should be done only if the the AR receiver was sold as a "receiver" and not as part of a rifle. But even then, you could still be harassed by LEOs who don't understand all the subtleties of the law (but who really does?)

If you have any doubts, consult directly with ATF with your specific question (in writing, as recommended previously by keith13b), keep the response, and then keep checking on changes to the ATFs policies (or contradictions).

Personally, I find the whole idea that one can be "caught" in a technicality of how a modular lower receiver was "papered" originally ludicrous. What should really count (in the ATF environment) is how the gun is presently configured.

I would like to see the entire NFA cast aside and return to full 2A rights...(one can dream).

Finally, no one should take anything I (or anyone else for that matter) comments upon with respect to NFA legalities as the gospel. We can all read the various laws, regulations, and "rulings" and come to our own interpretation...I don't know of any other case law (besides Thompson Center) that would address the back and forth conversion between pistols/rifles. I'll keep looking (as this greatly interests me).

[fkleinbu]

I like the idea fully automatic weapons are restricted.. Otherwise I would have one, and use way too much ammo <vbg>..

flk k

[ibgp3]

To stay clear, stay away from pistol lowers and uppers with barrels under 16''.

Right?

"I would like to see the entire NFA cast aside and return to full 2A rights...(one can dream)."

That won't happen in a vacuum. Many painful things would have to happen at the same time......

[BjornF16]

To stay clear, stay away from pistol lowers and uppers with barrels under 16''.

Right?

A pistol lower can have shorter than 16" barrels (from a federal, legal perspective). Some states/localities ban them or place other restrictions on barrel lengths. In Texas, you are good to go.

Depending upon caliber, there may be practical limitations on barrel length for reliability. AA sells Grendel uppers at 10.5". I've seen 5.56 with 7" barrel on up. I have a Noveske 300 BLK 10" upper currently on my pistol lower (waiting on SBR stamp now for 5 months).

Once the SBR stamp comes in, I'll purchase/build a 10.5 or 11.5" 5.56 upper for my pistol lower and probably spring for another can for that one.

AR-15s are way too cool!

[fkleinbu]

Bjorn16.. I look at them as a semi-auto T/C <grin>.. I just wish they were chambered in a wider range of cartridges.. An Alexander Arms 17 HMR is my next upper.. Hope to order it at the end of the month..

I would like to find a nice 6 to 10" barreled upper in 40 S&W (or ugh) 9mm..

flk k

[txgunner00]

I asked about the legalities because it looked like the Amazon site offers the uninformed an opportunity to get into serious trouble.

After several pages of answers I'm coming to the conclusion that informed people with good legal advice can get tripped up.

That is correct and not limited to Amazon. Most dealers have disclaimers like "NFA rules apply" but there is no obligation to verify the purchaser can legally posses the upper. I have personally educated a few people in this subject post purchase. Fortunate for them they didn't get caught.

[txgunner00]

Bjorn16.. I look at them as a semi-auto T/C <grin>.. I just wish they were chambered in a wider range of cartridges.. An Alexander Arms 17 HMR is my next upper.. Hope to order it at the end of the month..

I would like to find a nice 6 to 10" barreled upper in 40 S&W (or ugh) 9mm..

flk k

9mm SBR uppers are super fun. I don't have one myself (yet) but a buddy of mine does as well as a registered FA lower. THAT's a good time.