While anti-gun zealots moan about assault rifles and high cap mags, they have totally missed a far bigger threat that seems to skirt federal gun laws. Manufacturers have somehow discovered a loophole in the so-called NFA regulations that require an expensive and burdensome federal tax stamp or license to purchase certain weapons, notably fully auto weapons and short-barreled, ie <16 " barrel, rifles. They skirt the rule by calling the weapon a pistol instead, crazy as that sounds. They even equip them with "arm braces", which look an awful lot like small stocks. Judging form the ranking of "most popular" sellers listed by one gun seller, a lot of these pistols are being sold. Pistol: Rifle: OK, now I see the difference. Sure I do. Even scarier, they have somehow received approval to sell what are essentially sawed-off shotguns, the classic bank robbers weapon. This design, and similar ones from other manufacturers, apparently manipulate loopholes in the regulations that are designed to prohibit exactly what they are selling. Legal non-shotgun, non-pistol:
I have mixed feelings about this. These weapons are selling like hotcakes because they fill a need, eg for home defense weapons that are more powerful than a handgun but almost as easy to deploy. On the other hand, is it wise to be pushing the envelope like this, particularly at a time when we have achieved significant Second Amendment rights compared to just a few years ago when assault rifles were subject to a federal ban, one supported by many republicans?