Featureless rifles are rifles with modifications made to remove prohibited features from Modern Sporting Rifles. The term is most commonly used with rifles manufactured or retrofitted to comply with gun laws in California.[1]
Guns with a bullet button, pistol grip, flash suppressor and folding stock have been considered assault weapons requiring formal registration in California since July 1, 2018.[2] While some gun owners have opted to register their guns, others have chosen to make modifications to keep their weapons compliant with state regulations such that registration is not required. One common change for guns with a flash suppressor is to replace it with a muzzle brake, and some have converted their guns to use .22 Long Rifle cartridges, which are smaller and less expensive than the 5.56×45mm NATO / .223 Remington cartridges that AR-15 style rifles are predominantly chambered in.[3][4]
Some companies sell "featureless grips" made of Kydex that can convert pistol grips so they no longer meet the statutory definition of prohibited features. With these types of modifications, high-capacity magazines can still be used.[5] Some companies, like Cobalt Kinetics and Hi-Point Firearms, have released rifles designed to be "featureless" under California's assault weapons statute.[6][7][4] Both the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) have released detailed information about "featureless builds".[8]
See also
References
- ^ Hoober, Sam (February 20, 2019). "What Is A 'California-Legal' AR-15?". thetruthaboutguns.com. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Why Some "Featureless" Guns Might Need to be Registered as "Assault Weapons" in California". firearmspolicy.org. January 9, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Different options to avoid registering gun with the California DOJ". ABC30 Fresno. 2018-06-29. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ a b McKay, Hollie (2017-08-23). "How California gun owners are legally keeping their AR-15 rifles". Fox News. Archived from the original on 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ Ammo (2018-01-16). Guns & Ammo Guide to AK-47s: A Comprehensive Guide to Shooting, Accessorizing, and Maintaining the Most Popular Firearm in the World. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-5107-1315-4. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "Cobalt Kinetics' 50 State Solution for the AR-15 Platform". AmmoLand.com. 2018-07-05. Archived from the original on 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ Eger, Chris (2018-07-26). "Hi Point Carbines, now with California-compliant paddle (PHOTOS)". Guns.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "NRA assault weapon Quick Reference Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
Further reading
- "2020 Ultimate Guide to Compliant Featureless AR-15 Rifles". caligunner.com. Retrieved June 4, 2020.