State Legality MatrixPistol BracesDistrict of Columbia
Statute-cited, not legal advice, last verified 2026-10-20
Banned
No. Braced AR-pattern pistols are unregistrable assault weapons, and the District cannot register a short-barreled rifle either.
Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(3A)(A)(i)(V)(dd); D.C. Code § 7-2502.02(a)(3), (a)(6)
Contested entry
The District uses the same magazine-location feature test as the other ban jurisdictions: a semiautomatic pistol with a detachable magazine is an assault weapon if it can accept a magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip. Every firearm in the District needs a registration certificate, and § 7-2502.02(a)(6) forbids issuing one for an assault weapon, so unregistrable means unpossessable. Section 7-2502.02(a)(3) closes the other path by barring registration of a short-barreled rifle. No District statute names the brace; the host firearm is already barred.
Federal law
The 2023 ATF stabilizing-brace rule was vacated nationwide and is not enforced, but that does not categorically make every brace-equipped firearm a pistol. Under 26 U.S.C. § 5845, federal classification still turns on whether the specific weapon is designed and intended to be fired from the shoulder. A brace-equipped firearm that meets the short-barreled-rifle definition is an NFA firearm; a configuration that remains a pistol is not. Since October 9, 2026, ATF does not enforce the NFA's Form 1 approval and registration requirements for SBRs, as a matter of enforcement discretion, but an SBR still needs an approved Form 5320.20 before interstate transport, state law still applies, and ATF says enforcement could resume if the policy changes. The federal making tax has been $0 since January 1, 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Federal baseline verified 2026-10-09. Scope: Pistol stabilizing braces (SB Tactical, Maxim Defense, A3 Industries and similar) and the braced pistols they mount on. Short-barreled rifles and state assault-weapon feature tests are tracked as separate classes.
Common questions
No. Braced AR-pattern pistols are unregistrable assault weapons, and the District cannot register a short-barreled rifle either. Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(3A)(A)(i)(V)(dd); D.C. Code § 7-2502.02(a)(3), (a)(6).
The controlling law is D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(3A)(A)(i)(V)(dd); D.C. Code § 7-2502.02(a)(3), (a)(6). Braced AR-pattern pistols are unregistrable assault weapons, and the District cannot register a short-barreled rifle either.