Ar pistol question?

The previous posters are correct. You can have a short upper on a lower that is registered as a pistol BUT it cannot have a stock. Also, you cannot be in possession of a short upper (less than 16 inches) if you don't have a pistol lower for it. That assumes that you have ONLY non-pistol and non-SBR lowers.

I'm interested in building an SBR and every once in a while I'll see a short-barreled upper that I cannot buy until I have either an SBR lower or a pistol lower in my possession.

jbpmidas said:

I thought you could own one, just couldn't attach it until it was registered.

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I could be mistaken (I often am), but my understanding is that you can't even own one unless you have a pistol lower or an SBR lower.

One more point, you cannot under any circumstance attach a VFG to your AR pistol unless you file the Form 1 with the ATF and pay the $200 tax.

According to the ATF, a pistol is designed to be fired with one hand, and the addition of a VFG converts it to a weapon that is designed to be fired with two hands. Thus, by adding a VFG, you have "made" a gun and are required to file the form.

Sorry, VFG = Verticle Fore Grip

chburnham said:

I've seen actual pistols with a fore grip attached does that make them illegal

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No, you can legally own a AR pistol with a VFG if you've filed Form 1 with the ATF and paid the $200 tax. There's a great thread on this topic at AR15.com here:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=122&t=458387

chburnham said:

Yeah he said you can't have it on an ar pistol without paper work. What about actual pistols such as a glock?

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I don't know the answer to that one. My guess would be no VFG without ATF Form 1 and paying the tax.