The ATF has been on a tear over the last few years. Ever since they reclassified bump stocks, it seems officials at the bureau have been chomping at the bit to monkey with pretty much anything they think they can get away with.

And having a Gun-Grabber-in-Chief who's totally on board with this isn't helping.

One target of the ATF has been pistol braces. 

Meant to help disabled shooters, many put them on their AR-pistols for a number of reasons, and for a time, the ATF not only said they were fine, they even said that you were good to go if you put it up to your shoulder like a rifle stock.

Of course, they bounced between "yay" and "nay" on that so many times it makes your head spin.

Then one day, they decided they were prohibited. You couldn't use them, and now a coalition of gun rights groups challenging the rule are warning the ATF to "back away" before they get embarrassed.

A collection of Second Amendment advocates that has already stalled a Biden administration plan to punish millions of gun owners urged the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to fully “back away” from controversial plans targeting AR-style “pistols.”

In a legal filing, the advocates predicted that they would eventually beat the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and called on the agency to give up the fight over reclassifying the firearms to regulated and taxed guns.

“Our earlier victory in the case should have signaled to the government to back away from its rule,” said Second Amendment Foundation Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb.

“Instead, the government has appealed in hopes of saving this arbitrary restriction, and we’re simply asking the court to affirm its earlier ruling,” he added.

...

Recent legal cases have found that guns in “common” use are generally free from regulation, and SAF argued that having up to 10 million AR-pistols in use demonstrates that they are “common.”

Honestly, I agree, the ATF should back the hell up from this because I don't really see this one winning out.

What's more, the rule accomplishes nothing other than making it harder for disabled shooters who really need these braces in order to handle an AR of any type.

"But people can use them to turn their ARs into short-barreled rifles."

Yeah, and?

Look, the AR platform is very versatile. It's been referred to as "Barbie for men" due to the plethora of accessories available. Yes, that's a rather sexist description since I know plenty of women who love their ARs, but the point is that you can get aftermarket everything and they're relatively easy to put onto your firearm.

If someone wants to turn their pistol into an SBR, there's literally nothing that will prevent them from doing so other than a law-abiding nature. A replacement buffer tube and stock can be had for less than $50, after all, and they're standard parts for AR builds. Making that step doesn't take a great deal of expertise.

So banning pistol braces doesn't stop potential bad actors from using an SBR for an illegal act because it's too easy to make an SBR if you're so inclined.

It does mean that amputees who can't handle an AR-15 rifle but can with a pistol, if it's equipped with a brace, are left out in the rain.

So yeah, they should back away because this rule does nothing except hurt a group of people who are actually less likely to do anything to hurt others than your average ATF agent.

But it's never been about stopping crime, mass shootings, or anything else. This is about telling you that you can't do something simply because they don't want you to do it. This isn't about crime but control, getting you comfortable with the idea that they can jerk away a perfectly legal accessory at any point, probably in hopes that you won't buy them in the first place.