Machine Guns, Destructive Devices, and Certain Other Firearms; Amended Definition of “Pistol” (2003R-33P)

The Department of Justice is proposing to amend the regulations relating to machine guns, destructive devices, and certain other firearms regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to clarify the definition of the term ``pistol'' and to define more clearly exceptions to the ``pistol'' definition. The added language is necessary to clarify that certain weapons, including any weapon disguised to look like an item other than a firearm or any gun that fires more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger, are not pistols and are classified as ``any other weapon'' under the NFA.

Agency Contact: James P. Ficaretta; Enforcement Programs and Services; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Department of Justice; 650 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20226; telephone (202) 927-8203 (this is not a toll-free number).