Bmt85 wrote:Yeah, I know all about states making there own laws, making things convoluted. Here in Michigan, we use to have to register anything that was under 30" in its shortest operable configuration. So, an AR with no stock and a 14.5" barrel, or an AK with a side folding stock, had to be registered as a Michigan pistol. Now the laws are a little more inline with the Fed's, but still a bit messed up. I have one AR pistol that was grandfathered in after the change, so one good thing is I can legally carry it concealed or drive around with it fully loaded, ready to go in my vehicle, with a CPL. Never plan to, but good to know.
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you dont need to be grandfathered to carry an AR pistol under mi CPL rules - non-grandfathered pistols just has to qualify under the new (or current if you will) rules. which limits you to around a 10.5" barrel without going to a PDW type (extra short) buffer tube to stay under that 26" mark. assembled length under 26" OAL is the magic rule. any item that puts you over that length (adding a suppressor, etc) makes the pistol illegal to carry under MI CPL rules - even if said item is removable.
i have a non-grandfathered 9" AR pistol in 300 blk, comes in OAL of 25¼" with the QD flash hider on. 100% can be carried under CPL rules here - i do it all the time. its my "truck gun". i RI-60'ed (mi-pistol registry/sale form) it the day after i assembled it from a stripped receiver. just had to drop the paperwork off at the sheriff. I originally had a brace on it, but when the rules got squirly at the federal level - like 3 months after i build the damn thing
![Evil or Very Mad :evil:](./images/smilies/icon_evil.gif)
- i took it off and traded the weight for an optic. the 26" rule means unfortunately i cant carry it with the suppressor attached as that puts me over the 26" assembled OAL mark.
my preferred method to shoot it is by putting the buffer tube against my cheek, just touching my earlobe, almost like you would take a cheek-weld on a rifle with a stock, but my head is straight up instead of leaning over to the side.
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couple legal basics that have already been covered but are good to rehash on regarding building an AR pistol
1) if it starts life as a rifle its stuck there. to LEGALLY build an ar-pistol you'll need one of three options
a) a lower that was purchased on the 4473 as a pistol.
b) a stripped lower that was purchased on the 4473 as an "other" and has never been assembled.
c) an 80% lower that has never been assembled.
there are no other options. there is absolutely no grey area here. those three qualifiers are the only 100% way you can guarantee you're legal to build one. period. end of discussion.
2) document it as a pistol ASAP and do it right. a lawyer is going to cost you no less than $5000 to put on retainer if you have to go to court. or you can spend less than 1% of that to build it right the first time and never worry. (i'll take option 2, thanks!) a $15 fleabay pistol buffer tube will do the job to cover that aspect. follow any state level registry laws (if they apply). its not worth "saving" a few $$ to build it with an old 6 position buffer tube unless you're going to machine it so that it
cant accept a stock, ever. a pistol lower built with a 6 position buffer tube wrapped in para-cord (as an example) and a spare 6 position stock in the closet (or junk bin or wherever) = constructive intent and posession of an unlicensed NFA item. its not the 6 position buffer tube thats at issue - its your posession of the unused parts to add to it that can get you in trouble.
3)always have your lower built and documented
before you assemble/purchase your ar-pistol upper. being in posession of a short barreled upper without a pistol lower and a functioning rifle lower/assembled rifle = in violation of NFA law as you now technically have a unregistered SBR. if they wanna be real crappy about it - being in posession of
just a barrel shorter than 16" and not having a stamped SBR lower or a pistol lower and having a functioning AR rifle in the house can put you in the same spot. you MUST have a legal non-rifle lower to be in posession of a <16" barrel or upper if you have posession of a functioning ar-rifle.
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ASSEMBLY IS NOT THE LINE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE INTENT, MERE POSSESSION OF THE PARTS THAT CAN BE ASSEMBLED IS*
hth!
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