ATF Pistol Brace Ruling for Shockwave and TAC-14 Owners

Not giving any legal advice and you should certainly verify this information before you make any decisions, but here are the major take-aways from the ATF Ruling on pistol braces that went into effect yesterday, as they might affect us Shockwave owners:

1. To sum it up, “pistol braces” are now treated just like shoulder stocks for all weapons.
2. Short-barreled firearms like the 14” Shockwave are not affected by this ruling, as they were never covered under the original pistol brace ruling to begin with (that ruling applied to “pistols” only).
3. Essentially means that it has never been legal to install a pistol brace on a short-barreled “firearm” like the 14” Shockwave or TAC-14.
4. Anyone with a pistol brace on an unregistered 14” Shockwave, TAC-14, etc. is technically in possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun and is (technically) committing a felony.
5. Since the original ruling never applied to weapons like the 14” Shockwave, “firearms” with Birds Head Grip aren’t affected by this latest ruling either; however the ATF are requiring the manufacturers of these “firearms” to resubmit their requests for reclassification.
6. There is “tax forbearance” period from now until 31 May where you can register a pistol-braced pistol and they will waiver the $200 tax stamp, however this DOES NOT apply to pistol-braced short-barreled firearms like the 14” Shockwave and TAC-14….you will need to follow the normal process and bear the normal costs.

Hope this helps, leave any questions for us below and we'll answer them as best we can.


4 comments

  • John

    I just purchased a 590S shockwave 14 . I’m reading conflicting reports about an arm race or shoulder stock. Are they allowed or not? Is there a product that you can purchase that “loopholes” this decision?

  • Norm Nassrallah

    Can an AR style grip & stock be installed on an 18in shockwave and sill be legal .

  • NickS

    Also curious about the tac14 arm brace and where it falls in all of this.

  • JerryK

    Thanks for offering your interpretation of the ruling. What about the Tac-14 Arm Brace, which shipped from the Remington factory with a brace and was not subject to NFA requirements? Thanks for your help!

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