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State Legality MatrixClass Breakdown
Assault Weapon Feature Bans by State (2026)
Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-31
Assault-weapon feature bans restrict semi-automatic firearms in 11 states and Washington, D.C.; the other 39 states impose no configuration ban. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Washington run feature-test regimes on rifles, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C. ban covered rifles outright, and Hawaii's feature test reaches assault pistols only, not rifles. Colorado is a different mechanism entirely: from August 1, 2026 SB25-003 restricts the purchase channel for certain gas-operated semi-autos rather than banning a feature or possession.
- Legal
- 39
- Restricted
- 7
- Banned
- 5
Assault Weapon Feature Bans
LegalRestrictedBanned
There has been no federal assault weapons ban since the 1994 ban expired in 2004, so feature restrictions are entirely a matter of state law. Cargill v. Garland (2024) made bump stocks federally legal, and the 2023 ATF pistol-brace rule was vacated nationwide and is not enforced. Federal SBR classification for a brace-equipped firearm still turns on whether the specific weapon is designed and intended to be fired from the shoulder. A threaded barrel, pistol grip, folding or telescoping stock, flash suppressor, or forward grip that is unremarkable in Texas can turn an ordinary AR into a prohibited configuration in a ban state.
The tests differ in how many features trigger them and what they reach. California, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York use a one-feature test on a detachable-magazine semi-auto rifle, which is why featureless builds exist; Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey use two-feature or named-list tests. Reach also varies: Washington bans sale but not possession and requires no registration, Rhode Island's 2025 ban took effect July 1, 2026 as a sale-and-transfer ban with existing possession grandfathered, and California, New York, and Illinois prohibit possession of unregistered covered rifles.
Where it is restricted
Where Assault Weapon Feature Bans Apply
These jurisdictions restrict semi-automatic rifles, and often pistols and shotguns, by configuration features. Each row lists the relevant features and threshold, whether the ban reaches possession or only sale and transfer, and the controlling statute.
- RestrictedRuleOne-feature test plus a named-model list; registered pre-ban assault weapons are grandfathered, and new sale, transfer, or manufacture is banned. Effective 2000-01-01.Listed features: pistol grip, thumbhole stock, folding stock, telescoping stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, forward grip, threaded barrel.
- RestrictedRuleOne-feature test plus a named-model list; pre-ban weapons are grandfathered only if registered with DESPP by the 2013 deadline, otherwise prohibited. Effective 2013-04-04.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, bayonet mount.
- RestrictedRuleNamed-model list plus a copycat one-of-five-feature test; sale, manufacture, transfer, and new possession are banned, with pre-2022 possession grandfathered. Effective 2022-06-30.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, barrel shroud.
- RestrictedRuleAssault pistols only, via a two-feature test; possession, sale, and transfer of assault pistols is a class C felony. Rifles are not feature-banned. Effective 1992-06-01.Listed features: magazine outside grip, threaded barrel, barrel shroud.
- BannedRuleOne-feature test plus a named-model list; sale, manufacture, and purchase are banned, and possession is prohibited except for pre-2023 owners who filed an endorsement affidavit. Effective 2023-01-10.Listed features: pistol grip, folding stock, telescoping stock, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, barrel shroud, threaded barrel, muzzle brake.
- RestrictedRuleNamed list plus a copycat feature test; sale, transfer, and new possession are banned, with pre-October-2013 possession grandfathered. Effective 2013-10-01.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, forward grip.
- BannedRuleTwo-or-more-feature test plus a named-model list and copies or duplicates; sale, transfer, and possession are banned except lawful pre-ban possession. Effective 2024-10-02.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, bayonet mount, forward grip, barrel shroud.
- BannedRuleThe published substantially-identical test for a detachable-magazine semiautomatic rifle requires at least two listed features. The Third Circuit held the rifle restriction unconstitutional, but stayed its mandate on August 4, 2026 pending a Supreme Court petition. Effective 1990-05-30.For a semiautomatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine, at least 2 of these listed features are required: folding or telescoping stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or threaded barrel for one, grenade launcher.
- BannedRuleOne-feature test plus a named-model list; sale, transfer, and manufacture are banned and possession of unregistered post-2013 assault weapons is prohibited. Effective 2013-01-15.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, muzzle brake, grenade launcher, bayonet mount, threaded barrel, forward grip.
- RestrictedRuleFeature-based prohibited-firearm definition; manufacture, sale, purchase, and transfer are banned from July 1, 2026, with existing lawful possession grandfathered. Effective 2026-07-01.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, flash suppressor, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, forward grip, bayonet mount, grenade launcher.
- RestrictedRuleNamed list plus a feature test; manufacture, import, distribution, and sale are banned, but possession remains legal with no registration requirement. Effective 2023-04-25.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, grenade launcher.StatuteRCW 9.41.390 (HB 1240, 2023)
- BannedRuleNamed list plus a feature test; assault weapons cannot be registered, and because possession requires registration, covered firearms are effectively prohibited. Effective 2009-03-31.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, forward grip, bayonet mount.
| State | Status | Rule | Statute / Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Restricted | One-feature test plus a named-model list; registered pre-ban assault weapons are grandfathered, and new sale, transfer, or manufacture is banned. Effective 2000-01-01.Listed features: pistol grip, thumbhole stock, folding stock, telescoping stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, forward grip, threaded barrel. | Cal. Penal Code § 30515 (features test) & § 30600 et seq. |
| Connecticut | Restricted | One-feature test plus a named-model list; pre-ban weapons are grandfathered only if registered with DESPP by the 2013 deadline, otherwise prohibited. Effective 2013-04-04.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, bayonet mount. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 53-202a to 53-202c |
| Delaware | Restricted | Named-model list plus a copycat one-of-five-feature test; sale, manufacture, transfer, and new possession are banned, with pre-2022 possession grandfathered. Effective 2022-06-30.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, barrel shroud. | 11 Del. C. §§ 1464-1467 (Lethal Firearms Safety Act of 2022) |
| Hawaii | Restricted | Assault pistols only, via a two-feature test; possession, sale, and transfer of assault pistols is a class C felony. Rifles are not feature-banned. Effective 1992-06-01.Listed features: magazine outside grip, threaded barrel, barrel shroud. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 134-1 & 134-8 |
| Illinois | Banned | One-feature test plus a named-model list; sale, manufacture, and purchase are banned, and possession is prohibited except for pre-2023 owners who filed an endorsement affidavit. Effective 2023-01-10.Listed features: pistol grip, folding stock, telescoping stock, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, barrel shroud, threaded barrel, muzzle brake. | 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9 & 5/24-1.10 (Protect Illinois Communities Act) |
| Maryland | Restricted | Named list plus a copycat feature test; sale, transfer, and new possession are banned, with pre-October-2013 possession grandfathered. Effective 2013-10-01.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, forward grip. | Md. Code, Crim. Law §§ 4-301 to 4-306 (Firearm Safety Act of 2013) |
| Massachusetts | Banned | Two-or-more-feature test plus a named-model list and copies or duplicates; sale, transfer, and possession are banned except lawful pre-ban possession. Effective 2024-10-02.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, bayonet mount, forward grip, barrel shroud. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 121 & 131M; St. 2024, c. 135 |
| New Jersey | Banned | The published substantially-identical test for a detachable-magazine semiautomatic rifle requires at least two listed features. The Third Circuit held the rifle restriction unconstitutional, but stayed its mandate on August 4, 2026 pending a Supreme Court petition. Effective 1990-05-30.For a semiautomatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine, at least 2 of these listed features are required: folding or telescoping stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or threaded barrel for one, grenade launcher. | N.J. Stat. §§ 2C:39-1(w), 2C:39-5(f) & 2C:58-12 |
| New York | Banned | One-feature test plus a named-model list; sale, transfer, and manufacture are banned and possession of unregistered post-2013 assault weapons is prohibited. Effective 2013-01-15.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, muzzle brake, grenade launcher, bayonet mount, threaded barrel, forward grip. | N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(22) (SAFE Act) |
| Rhode Island | Restricted | Feature-based prohibited-firearm definition; manufacture, sale, purchase, and transfer are banned from July 1, 2026, with existing lawful possession grandfathered. Effective 2026-07-01.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, flash suppressor, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, forward grip, bayonet mount, grenade launcher. | R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 11-47.3 (Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025, 2025-S 0359A) |
| Washington | Restricted | Named list plus a feature test; manufacture, import, distribution, and sale are banned, but possession remains legal with no registration requirement. Effective 2023-04-25.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, forward grip, flash suppressor, threaded barrel, barrel shroud, grenade launcher. | RCW 9.41.390 (HB 1240, 2023) |
| District of Columbia | Banned | Named list plus a feature test; assault weapons cannot be registered, and because possession requires registration, covered firearms are effectively prohibited. Effective 2009-03-31.Listed features: folding stock, telescoping stock, pistol grip, thumbhole stock, flash suppressor, grenade launcher, threaded barrel, forward grip, bayonet mount. | D.C. Code §§ 7-2501.01(3A) & 7-2502.02(a)(6) |
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Contested entries
Litigation Status and Recent Changes
Courts stay, revive, and sever these laws mid-year, and grandfather clauses change what a ban means in practice. This is where each contested entry stands.
California
Restrictedeffective 2000-01-01Roberti-Roos AWB. A semi-auto centerfire rifle with a fixed magazine over 10 rounds, or an overall length under 30 inches, is also an assault weapon. The bullet-button registration path closed in 2017; unregistered banned configurations are prohibited to possess. A detachable-magazine rifle triggers on any one listed feature, which is why featureless builds exist.
Connecticut
Restrictedeffective 2013-04-04Post-Sandy Hook Public Act 13-3. One-feature test for detachable-magazine semi-auto rifles; the registration window closed December 31, 2013, so unregistered covered rifles are illegal to possess. Feature tests also cover pistols and shotguns.
Delaware
Restrictedeffective 2022-06-30HB 450. A copycat centerfire semi-auto rifle taking a detachable magazine triggers on any one of five features. Lawful pre-effective-date possession is grandfathered with transport restrictions; a voluntary certificate of possession is available. The ban was upheld on appeal and the Supreme Court declined cert.
Hawaii
Restrictedeffective 1992-06-01Scope is pistols only: a semi-auto pistol taking a detachable magazine with two or more of a magazine attaching outside the grip, a threaded barrel, or a barrel shroud. Semi-auto rifles have no Hawaii feature ban; the separate over-10-round pistol-magazine ban still applies.
Illinois
Bannedeffective 2023-01-10PICA is enforceable as of July 2026: on July 9, 2026 the Seventh Circuit (Barnett v. Raoul, 2-1) reversed the district-court injunction and upheld the act. Grandfathered owners had to file an endorsement affidavit with the Illinois State Police by January 1, 2024. Related Supreme Court cases are set for fall 2026.
Maryland
Restrictedeffective 2013-10-01Bans enumerated assault long guns and copycat weapons (a centerfire semi-auto rifle with two or more listed features, or over-10-round fixed capacity). Grandfathered if lawfully possessed before October 1, 2013. Upheld en banc in the Fourth Circuit (Bianchi/Snope); the Supreme Court denied cert in 2025.
Massachusetts
Bannedeffective 2024-10-02The original 1998 ban adopted the 1994 federal list and features; Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 broadened the definition (assault-style firearm, copies and duplicates, two-or-more-feature test) effective October 2, 2024 under the emergency preamble. Post-1994 copies were already banned under the Attorney General's 2016 enforcement notice. Pre-existing lawful possession is grandfathered.
New Jersey
Bannedeffective 1990-05-30One listed feature alone does not satisfy the published substantially-identical rifle test, but named models and other statutory branches apply independently. The July 17 en banc opinion reached the full semiautomatic-rifle class and remanded other firearm categories; the court stayed its mandate on August 4 pending the anticipated Supreme Court petition.
New York
Bannedeffective 2013-01-15SAFE Act one-feature test for detachable-magazine semi-auto rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Pre-2013 weapons had to be registered with the State Police; unregistered covered firearms are illegal to possess and no new registrations of banned configurations are allowed.
Rhode Island
Restrictedeffective 2026-07-01Signed June 26, 2025; effective July 1, 2026. Bans manufacture, sale, transfer, and purchase of semi-auto rifles, shotguns, and pistols meeting the feature test. Existing lawfully possessed weapons are grandfathered; this is a sale and transfer ban, not a possession ban. Penalty up to 10 years or $10,000.
Washington
Restrictedeffective 2023-04-25Bans manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, and offer for sale of assault weapons. Unlike most AWB states it does not ban or register possession, so existing owners keep their firearms and may transfer to an FFL or inherit.
District of Columbia
Bannedeffective 2009-03-31The District adopts a California-style assault-weapon feature and model definition and bars registration of any assault weapon. No grandfather registration path.
Colorado
LegalSB25-003 (signed April 10, 2025; effective August 1, 2026) requires a safety course and a sheriff-issued eligibility card to buy or transfer specified gas-operated semi-auto rifles, shotguns, and handguns with detachable magazines. It restricts the purchase channel only: there is no possession ban, no registration requirement, and no feature-configuration ban, so any feature combination remains lawful to own and build in Colorado.
Minnesota
LegalMinn. Stat. § 624.712 defines 'semiautomatic military-style assault weapon,' but the definition drives transfer-permit requirements, not a possession or configuration ban.
Oregon
LegalMeasure 114 (2022) is a magazine-capacity and permit measure, not a feature ban, and remains tied up in litigation. No feature-configuration ban on semi-auto rifles as of July 2026.
Vermont
LegalVermont limits magazine capacity (Act 94, 2018) but has no feature-configuration ban on semi-auto rifles.
Virginia
LegalThe 2026 acts were scheduled to take effect July 1 and regulate importation, manufacture, sale, purchase, and transfer of covered firearms rather than ordinary possession of firearms acquired before the cutoff. Two circuit-court injunctions currently block enforcement while the challenges proceed.
Where it is legal
Where There Is No Feature Ban
The other 39 states have no enforceable assault-weapon feature ban, so threaded barrels, pistol grips, adjustable stocks, and flash hiders are legal on semi-automatic rifles. This includes Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, and Colorado. Virginia's 2026 transaction restrictions are currently enjoined, Colorado adds a purchase permit for some gas-operated semi-autos from August 2026, and Vermont still caps long-gun magazines at 10 rounds as a separate matter. Oregon has no enforceable magazine cap; its Measure 114 remains enjoined.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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What to buy
Featureless Grips for Ban States
In a one-feature state, replacing the pistol grip can be one step toward a compliant detachable-magazine rifle. A grip swap alone does not resolve named-model bans, two-feature tests, or other configuration branches, so check the complete state rule before changing parts.
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Federal law
Federal baseline
There has been no federal assault weapons ban since the 1994 ban expired in 2004; no feature restrictions apply federally to semi-automatic rifles or pistols. The 2023 ATF pistol-brace rule was vacated nationwide and is not enforced, but federal SBR classification for a brace-equipped firearm still turns on whether the specific weapon is designed and intended to be fired from the shoulder. Cargill v. Garland (2024) made bump stocks federally legal. Feature bans are entirely a matter of state law.
Federal baseline verified 2026-07-31.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a threaded barrel legal in my state?
A threaded barrel can count as a listed feature on a semiautomatic firearm in several states, but the host type and feature threshold matter. In one-feature states such as California and New York, one qualifying muzzle feature can complete the test on a detachable-magazine rifle. New Jersey's published substantially-identical rifle test requires at least two listed features, and its muzzle branch is a flash suppressor or a threaded barrel designed to accept one.
Which states ban assault weapons?
Eleven states and Washington, D.C. restrict semi-automatic firearms by feature: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington. Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and D.C. ban possession of covered rifles; the others primarily restrict features, sale, or transfer. Colorado adds a purchase-permit requirement from August 1, 2026 rather than a feature test. The remaining states have no feature ban.
Does Washington ban possession of AR-15s?
No. Washington's RCW 9.41.390 bans the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of assault weapons as of April 2023, but unlike most ban states it does not prohibit or register possession. Existing owners keep their firearms and may transfer to an FFL or inherit; you simply cannot buy a covered rifle new in-state.
Is Rhode Island's assault weapons ban in effect?
Yes, as of July 1, 2026. Rhode Island's Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025 bans the manufacture, sale, transfer, and purchase of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols that meet its feature test. It is a sale-and-transfer ban, not a possession ban: firearms lawfully possessed before the effective date are grandfathered.
Can I have a pistol grip on my AR-15 in California?
Only in a featureless configuration. Under California Penal Code § 30515, a detachable-magazine semi-auto rifle with a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action is an assault weapon. Californians run featureless builds with fixed magazines or fin-grip and featureless-stock setups to keep a rifle legal, because any one listed feature on a detachable-magazine rifle triggers the ban.
Does Colorado ban assault weapons?
Colorado has no feature ban and no possession ban. From August 1, 2026, SB25-003 requires a safety course and a sheriff-issued eligibility card to buy or transfer specified gas-operated semi-autos with detachable magazines. The restriction is on the purchase channel only; there is no registration requirement and no ban on owning the firearms.
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