Is This Really a Pistol?

Hey, John Hickok here. Is this really a pistol? Well, technically yes, but between you and me, absolutely not. The reason it's technically a pistol is because that is how the federal government in the United States would classify this, so that's kind of what we have to go by, and some of you guys that are maybe new to firearms may see something like this and see it referred to as a pistol and be very confused. Why are people calling that short rifle a pistol? Everything is either a short-barreled rifle or a pistol, and that's really important because it could be the difference between you having a nice time versus being in prison for a very long time. So the reason this looks like a rifle but it is a pistol is because it does not technically have a stock on it. It has a brace. This is a SB Tactical brace. This is not a stock. It is a brace. That is why this is allowed to have a barrel length under 16 inches, okay? So anything with a stock on it that has a barrel under 16 inches technically would have to be classified as a short-barreled rifle, which falls under the National Firearms Act of 1934, which requires a tax stamp and a lot of paperwork to acquire, right? This is technically no different than a Glock or a Smith & Wesson handgun as far as the way that the law classifies it, okay? Now, it does have a banished 30-gold suppressor on it, which is a whole other type of regulated item, which without making this a 30-minute video, falls under the National Firearms Act as well. But without this suppressor on here, we just have a pistol. Just like suppressor versus silencer, there's times where we have to call something a name that it's different from what it really is in reality because of a legal classification, right? Like, this does not silence the gun, but it is technically a silencer, and that is the official term, which is why we call them suppressors a lot of the time. This is technically a pistol, but you wouldn't say, oh, let me show you my new carry pistol, you know, unless you're joking around, and you wouldn't probably be talking about this, even though technically it is a pistol, right? So, that is kind of the legal classification and why you might hear that it referred to as that. Before I get into it a little bit more, I want to remind you, of course, of the people that support us and make this channel possible. Bud's Gun Shop and Range. If you're familiar with them, a leader in the industry, they're no further away than your computer screen. Also, Silencer Central. They do one thing, they do it very well. You've seen Vanna's line in our videos, including this one right here, on this very nice BCM AR pistol. And also, do not forget the Sonoran Desert Institute if you're interested in a career in gunsmithing. Check out sdi.edu. Okay, let's take a few shots with this pistol here, okay? I almost went to grab my ears, and I remembered it has a suppressor on. Okay, we're shooting 300 blackout, subsonic, 220 grain. Let's take out some two-liters. Start with the green one on the right. All right, nice. I love that sound. Let's get this one right in front of me. All right, I'm going to pop some stuff over on the other hill. Start with the red plate on the left. All right, let's move across. All right, not too bad. Let's take out some of these bowling pins. Smoky. Okay, so if you saw that piece of paper coming down there, that's, of course, the paperwork for the suppressor that we have here on the end. So, kind of in closing, this, again, this is a pistol, even though it looks like a rifle, right? The brace is what allows for that to happen, right? I removed this and put a standard magpul stock on here that you may have on your regular, you know, semi-automatic AR-15 that you have at home. I would be a felon immediately, right? It's very frustrating, all these different gun laws or whatever. So, sometimes we have to call things, buy a name that is not very accurate to what that thing is just because that is the legal definition, right? I think that is also the case with machine guns, right? Like, I have a fully transferable M16. It's technically a machine gun, right? But really, it's a rifle. It's just a rifle that shoots full auto, but legally, it is a machine gun. So, that's what you have to call it if you want to be correct with the legal term. So, yes, this is a pistol. And before we go, I want to mention our friends over at Alabama Holster make great little Kydex holsters for actual pistols, not technical pistols like this, probably. But definitely check them out and appreciate you watching the video. See you next time. Oh, yeah, that's better. This is a great gun for defense. Oh, hey, didn't see you guys there. While I've got you here, I want to remind you of our friends over at Talon Grips and Ballistol. Talon Grips makes grips. Can you believe it? For all different types of firearms, you can get rough texture or more of a rubberized texture. It just sticks right on there. Really affordable, really cool option to improve the grip for your handguns or rifles. So, please check them out at talongungrips.com. You'll be glad you did. And also, Ballistol. Dad has been using Ballistol for many years. It's a cleaner and a lubricant, and it's non-toxic. It works really great, and we're happy to have them on board since it's been a part of our shooting endeavor for a very long time. So, go to ballistol.com, talongungrips.com. And also, while you're out there, I'm juggling all these things here. Also, while you're on the internet, please do check out our other social media like Hickok45 on Facebook. There's also Hickok45 on Twitter, TheRealHickok45 on Instagram. There's a John underscore Hickok45 on Instagram where I do some things. There's Hickok45.com. You can find us also on Gunstreamer. So, check out all that stuff, and then watch more videos.