Pistol Grips and Shotguns
Firearms with pistol grips attached:

The definition of a shotgun under the GCA, 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(5), or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of an explosives to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.

Under the GCA, 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(29)(A), handgun means “a firearm which has a short stock and is designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand.” Federal law provides under 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1), that if the firearm to be transferred is “other than a rifle or shotgun,” the purchaser must be 21 years of age or older.

Certain commercially produced firearms do not fall within the definition of shotgun under the GCA even though they utilize a shotgun shell for ammunition. For example, firearms that come equipped with a pistol grip in place of the buttstock are not shotguns as defined by the GCA. A firearm with a pistol grip in lieu of the shoulder stock is not designed to be fired from the shoulder and, therefore, is not a shotgun. Since it is a firearm “other than a rifle or shotgun,” the purchaser must be 21 years of age or older.

Additionally, interstate controls apply. The licensee and transferee must be residents of the same State.

Other questions raised pertain to entries made in the licensee’s required records with respect to firearm “type.”
These entries should indicate the firearm type as “pistol grip firearm.”

Age Restriction & Interstate Transfer Reminders

Licensees are reminded that firearm frames, receivers, and other firearms that are neither handguns nor long guns (rifles or shotguns) are considered “Other Firearms.” They cannot be sold or delivered by a licensee to any person under 21 years of age. Additionally, 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3) states that a licensee shall not sell or deliver any firearm other than a shotgun or rifle to any person who does not reside in the State in which the licensee’s place of business or activity is located; this restriction includes handguns, pistol grip firearms utilizing shotgun ammunition, and frames and receivers. [/b]