Franklin Armory Reformation Ruled a New Type of NFA-ish Item

By Chris Eger

While approved in 2017 as a non-NFA item, the ATF this week has reversed course on transfers of the Franklin Armory Reformation, now classifying the firearm as a “Gun Control Act Short-Barreled Shotgun” (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
In early 2018, Franklin Armory promised an 11.5-inch barreled non-NFA firearm, with a stock. The ATF this week disagreed.
The AR-15 based FA Reformation as introduced included an 11.5-inch barrel with a muzzle device and a Magpul MOE SL carbine stock but at the time did not require a tax stamp as it was technically neither rifle nor shotgun.
The firearm used a barrel with straight cut lands and grooves and a standard chamber. The resulting firearm cycled rifle ammunition but did not impart spin on the bullet during firing as it had no traditional rifling.
“On August 3rd of 2017, the Chief of the [ATF] Firearms Technology Division confirmed that a firearm equipped with a stock and a barrel featuring straight cut lands and grooves is defined as a ‘firearm,’ and is not a rifle or a shotgun,” said Franklin Armory President Jay Jacobson at the January 2018 SHOT Show. “Since Reformation cannot be a rifle or a shotgun, it cannot be a short-barreled rifle or a

Source: Guns.com