When the freebie SBR's for braced pistols were available, I took advantage(???) of registering one. I have been considering revoking this, if it is even possible, due to transportation and legality in other states. As a pistol I could transport it in my state with fewer restrictions in my vehicle than a SBR.
First question, Is this even possible to have it removed from the registry, I did not have to have it engraved.
2. If it is possible, am I making a wrong move with the possibility that these may be deregulated in the future? I realize that this may not occur but hope it does.

Generally, if you make a SBR from a pistol, you can convert it back to a pistol as needed by simply removing the stock. However, since the ATF position for the “freebie” SBR was that they were always SBRs, I don’t know if that logic works for these guns. You can request removal of an NFA item from the registry by sending a request to the ATF, although it’s not actually removed, it’s just annotated that it’s no longer an NFA item. As far as making the wrong move, no one knows what’s going to happen in the future.

All that said, if you take the stock off, no one will know that it’s in the registry as a SBR, or know whether or not it started as a pistol and converted back, or was always a SBR.

Depending on your states definition of a loaded weapon (pistol vs. rifle), one advantage of a pistol 'can' be a fully loaded magazine inserted into the magwell when in a vehicle, when that 'may' not be permissible for a rifle.

As an example, in NH a firearm is NOT considered loaded (rifle or pistol) if there is NO round in the chamber, but some states have differing rules/laws on the subject, potentially differentiating between rifles and pistols in this scenario.

For instance, if the laws of your state permit a loaded mag in a pistol, but NOT a rifle, and you have an encounter with LE while your SBR in physically in a pistol configuration AND they ultimately determine it's an SBR, you'd have a problem! Something to consider...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nhracecraft,

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
Generally, if you make a SBR from a pistol, you can convert it back to a pistol as needed by simply removing the stock. However, since the ATF position for the “freebie” SBR was that they were always SBRs, I don’t know if that logic works for these guns....

I didn't follow the day to day during that amnesty conversion period but that's an interesting take. Generally yes, you could "un-register" an SBR, but maybe not one that got in under that program.

I like having both SBRs and Pistols as there are benefits to both. The obvious answer is OP needs a pistol.

FYI - on travel, it's not a huge pain. I just renewed my 5320.20 for 365 calendar days to the 2 states I travel to several times a year. Form just takes a few minutes, send it in via email and they approved in 6 days and mailed a letter back.

do the 5320.20 or buy a new lower and build it for the purpose of swapping uppers.

I was reading today 5320.20 submitted online thru eforms are typically being approved in 48 hours.