REUTERS/Bing Guan/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. regulation restricting ownership of gun accessories known as pistol braces is likely illegal, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, a victory for a gun rights group challenging the rule.
Circuit Court of Appeals found that U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finalized the rule in January without giving the public a meaningful chance to comment on it.
The court did not immediately block enforcement of the rule, instead sending the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas.
Pistol braces were first marketed in 2012 as a way of attaching a pistol to the shooter's forearm, stabilizing it and making it easier to use for disabled people.
The disputed rule classifies some guns equipped with pistol braces as short-barrel rifles, based on several factors including their size and weight and the manufacturers' marketing materials.
Persons:
Dimitri Karras, Bing Guan, District Judge Reed O'Connor, O'Connor, Joe Biden's, Cody Wisniewski, Jerry Smith, Don Willett, Stephen Higginson, Smith, Willett, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Higginson, Barack Obama, ‘, Higginson ‘, ’, Brendan Pierson, David Gregorio, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, REUTERS, Circuit, Appeals, . Bureau, Explosives, District, Coalition, ATF, U.S . Department of Justice, Fifth, Congress, Republican, Democratic, Thomson
Locations:
Oceanside , California, U.S, New Orleans, Fort Worth , Texas, New York