It seems that sometimes the mere sound of racking a shotgun slide is enough to scare scumbags away.
Month: December 2011
It looks like we have a couple of people blogging about my new bird’s head grip for the Mossberg 500—and some of its great uses. 🙂
Sipsey Street Irregulars: Calling the ATF on an Insane Ruling
I guess any publicity is good publicity. 😉 Regarding the DD suggestion, I can’t see ATF calling PGO 12-gauge firearms Destructive Devices. That would cause quite a mess for the ATF, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of PGO Mossberg Cruisers and Persuaders already in existence. And I don’t see them classifying all of those as DDs.
Another commenter posed the scenario of possessing both the 14″ configuration as pictured and a bone-stock Mossberg 500 in the same place. His concern centered on “constructive intent.” However, constructive intent wouldn’t play into it, as all the items in that scenario would have a legal use. Constructive intent only applies when there is no legal use for a combination of items. Thompson proved this in their case with the Contender setup with both a long and short barrel and a pistol grip and a stock—and only one receiver.
Like I’ve mentioned, I’m not a firearms attorney. But I had my own lawyer examine this subject (before I built my personal 26.5″ PGO firearm). His determination was that I am on the right side of the law with my firearm. But he only represents me.
You read right—the long-awaited Raptor Grips for the Mossberg 500 series are IN STOCK! We’ll be shipping the rest of the week.
The test parts are molded. And everything looks and fits perfectly! For all of you waiting, your Raptor Grip will be shipping very very soon. I really appreciate all the interest and preorders I’ve received for this product. It was a bigger project than one might’ve guessed. A big thank you to all those who provided their support.
–Marty
I get a lot of questions from customers about the “new” ATF ruling regarding pistol-grip-only (PGO) firearms with 14″ barrels that aren’t considered NFA items.
Well, first off, let me say, it’s not a new ruling. It’s the same position that ATF has always taken regarding PGO firearms that fire a fixed shotgun shell that have NEVER had a buttstock attached to them—they’re NOT shotguns! They’re simply firearms. As such, they don’t necessarily need to have 18″+ barrels on them to remain out of the purview of the NFA.
You see, the very definition of a “shotgun” requires that it be “designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder…” Without a buttstock ever having been fitted to the PGO firearms in question, they can’t be fired from the shoulder and are therefore not shotguns. Hence, with a 14″ barrel, they can’t be considered short-barreled shotguns, as they aren’t shotguns to begin with. Read the full definition of a shotgun here.
PGO firearms that remain longer than 26″ in overall length also can’t be defined as AOWs. That’s because the term “any other weapon” (AOW) means “any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person…” And ATF maintains that to be concealed, the firearm needs to be shorter than 26″. Read the full definition of an AOW here.
More on the subject is available in these two letters to Len Savage—the guy who will be making a lot of these non-NFA firearms in the coming months and years:
- July 20, 2010 letter from NFA Tech Branch to Mr. Len Savage
- October 27, 2010 letter from NFA Tech Branch to Mr. Len Savage
All that said, I’m not a firearms attorney. And I’m not offering legal advice here. I am simply relating things the way I understand them. Be sure you check with all the appropriate agencies.
Now, a pistol-grip-only Mossberg 500 with a 14″ barrel and the Raptor Grip installed measures 26.5″ in overall length (measured parallel to the bore).
–Marty
The new Shockwave Technologies website is up and running. ‘Bout frakkin’ time! To anyone thinking of setting up a website—or polishing off an old site that’s been neglected far too long—give WordPress a try. It’s not overly difficult. Took me a couple of days to figure things out and get things to the point you see them today.
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