The ATF published its final rule in the Federal Register in January and will take effect some time in August of 2022. To be clear, the new rule does not outlaw AR-15 pistols or pistol braces. It will continue to be legal to make, buy, sell, or own them. The ATF’s new regulations will only apply to the configuration of the complete firearm on which a brace is used. ATF can’t rule on the brace itself, but they can rule on a complete firearm that includes a brace. Those complete firearms will be evaluated based on the ATF’s points-based factoring system.