MasterPiece Arms Introduces 9mm Pistol With Arm Brace not Shoulder Stock
A compact weapon with a shoulder stock is considered a "short-barreled rifle" (SBR) and requires a transfer stamp to own, and this is the case even with folding stocks. However, firearms with a barrel less than 16-inches that lack a stock fall into the "pistol category." Now Comer, Georgia-based MasterPiece Arms (MPA) – the manufacturers of the MPA BA Rifles and Chassis Systems – has introduced its new 9mm pistol into its Defender line, featuring an "Arm Brace."
A compact weapon with a shoulder stock is considered a "short-barreled rifle" (SBR) and requires a transfer stamp to own, and this is the case even with folding stocks. However, firearms with a barrel less than 16-inches that lack a stock fall into the "pistol category."
Now Comer, Georgia-based MasterPiece Arms (MPA) – the manufacturers of the MPA BA Rifles and Chassis Systems – has introduced its new 9mm pistol into its Defender line, featuring an "Arm Brace." The MPA35DMG 9mm Pistol is based on the company's new handgun that features a machine aluminum pistol grip to accept Glock magazines. The ergonomically designed grip system incorporates the "Solidworks" designed profile, which can be used with 17 and 33 round magazines.
What is notable about this new handgun is that the attachment of the KAK Shockwave 2.0 Arm Brace does not make this pistol an SBR and requires no tax stamp. The use of various detachable shoulder stocks has been seen to constitute a SBR. Some stocked handguns – such as original semiautomatic Mauser C-96 "Broomhandles" and Lugers for example – have been removed from the purview of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) regulations as collector's items.
The question is how does a modern 21st century device not fall into the SBR category?
The difference according to Shockwave Technologies is one of a "pistol stabilizing brace" vs. a fixed stock. Provided the Blade/Arm Brace isn't permanent affixed – including through the use of Loctite to set the system's screw in place, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE or ATF) apparently considers it to be "temporarily placed" and that this is "perfectly okay to shoulder." Where an issue could come up is with the length of such braces – and provided these remain below 13.5-inches the ATF reportedly sees these as a brace vs. a stock.
In October 2017 the issue was clarified in a letter from the AFT's Firearms Technology Industry Service Branch in Martinsburg, West Virginia; it was concluded that attaching the arm brace to an AR-type handgun as a forearm brace would not "make" an NFA weapon. Yet, if the shooter/possessor were to take affirmative steps to configure the device for use as a shoulder-stock then it could be seen as a stock.
All this is a gray area that shooters may want to consider. It should also be noted that the ATF has also banned items that were once considered legal – notably bump stocks.
The MPA35DMG has a barrel length of 5.5-inches, features adjustable front and rear sights, includes a lower Picatinny rail for use with a flashlight or laser systems. It is available in black Cerakote finish, while tungsten, burnt bronze, marine red, NRA blue, sniper green and gunmetal Cerakote are also available for an added cost. MSRP for the MPA35DMG 9mm Pistol with Arm Brace is $799 to $925 depending on the finish.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.