DOJ Filing Keeps Brace Crackdown Door Open

The Department of Justice submitted a legal filing that renews serious questions about where the ATF actually stands on braced pistols and NFA enforcement. After years of regulatory whiplash, gun owners deserve a straight answer — and they still aren't getting one.

The braced pistol saga started when the ATF spent years telling Americans that stabilizing braces were legal accessories. Then, under Biden's DOJ, the agency reversed course and attempted to reclassify millions of braced pistols as unregistered short-barreled rifles — turning law-abiding gun owners into felons overnight.

Federal courts pushed back hard. Multiple rulings struck down or blocked ATF's 2023 brace rule, with judges rejecting the agency's legal gymnastics outright. Gun owners scored real wins, and the rule collapsed.

But Acting AG Todd Blanche's DOJ still has questions to answer. The new filing suggests the government is preserving arguments that keep the door open for future brace crackdowns. That is not acceptable.

The NRA-ILA fought this battle every step of the way — in courts, in Congress, and in the regulatory comment process. Their work helped expose the ATF's rule as the unconstitutional power grab it always was.

The bottom line: no law-abiding American should face federal felony charges for attaching a legally purchased accessory to a legally purchased firearm. The ATF's conduct on braces is a case study in regulatory overreach — and proof that bureaucracies do not surrender power willingly.

Gun owners cannot assume this fight is finished. The ATF reversed itself before, and without a permanent legislative fix, it can do it again under any future administration.

Contact your representatives today and demand they co-sponsor the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act to permanently protect pistol brace owners from federal prosecution. Don't wait for the next rule drop to start making noise.