Laws regarding stripped AR15 receiver for pistol builds.

[Grimm]

Today a friend was asking me about the laws regarding what a dealer has to do if they are selling a stripped AR 15 lower to someone who they know is planning on using it for a pistol. If it can be sold to someone under age 21? Does the dealer have to note on the paperwork that the receiver will be used for a pistol build? I know its been discussed on the forums before and I thougt I remembered a post about a possible change in the laws recently but I was unable to turn up anything after a search. If anyone can point me towards the atf page that covers this, it would be greatly appreciated.

[marketermac]

As far as I know, lowers are marked "other" on the FFL form and cannot be declared one way or the other until they are actually built into something.

I believe that you must be 21 to purchase the lower from a dealer, regardless of intent (this is an ATF thing, not a PA thing as far as I know). I do believe you can purchase the lower in a private sale (no FFL) from someone else legally in PA or get it as a gift from a family member. When buying a lower via a private sale it's important to know that the lower was not a rifle, because you cannot go from rifle > pistol in the ATF's eyes without the tax stamp. Therefore it must have always been a stripped lower to remain legal.

I also believe that you are allowed to file SBR paperwork at 18, so that might be an option if the tax stamp isn't out of the budget and you'd like to do everything at a dealer.


I'm not a lawyer, and the above is knowledge that I'm recalling from things I've read here. An experienced FFL should be able to answer these questions.

[AJ C-burg]

A virgin lower should be classified as an "other". A person must be 21 to purchase an "other". They can be bought and sold like a long gun after the initial purchase because they are not a pistol. You do not need to have it reclassified after you assemble it into a pistol either, but if you sell it in pistol form you have to go through the same steps as if you were selling any other pistol. Remember there is no registry in Pa, just a "record of sales".

IANAL

[knight0334]

The way federal law is written - ALL gun commercial(via a FFL) purchasers must be 21yo. Then it allows those who are 18 to purchase rifles and shotguns.

So, since a bare receiver is not a rifle or shotgun, the buyer must be 21yo. Same thing applies to pistol grip only shotguns. Also, like handguns, both bare receivers and other non-rifle/shotgun firearms, the buyer must be a resident of the same state as the FFL.

Now, in PA for private transfers - a bare receiver is not a PA defined "firearm". So it can be bought/sold privately between PA residents without a "proper transfer", and there are no age restrictions. Yes, in PA a bare receiver, rifle, shotgun, or pistol grip only shotgun can be owned by, possessed by, and carried by infants.