The suspension will remain in effect for 60 days, "unless withdrawn or extended by ATF.". It informs the ATF backed off the Cease & Desist, taking 60 days to look into the matter further. Q’s letter to the ATF reports that because Honey Badgers have stabilizing arms does not mean they were intended to be fired from the shoulder and … Vasquez says that the ATF singles out smaller companies because of their relative lack of resources. “The letters are on the internet and can be reviewed. In a letter released two days before Christmas, the ATF withdrew its previous guidance on “ Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces ” and a related request for public comment. “When the first arm braces were approved there was not a great deal of thought put into their approval,” he said. Update: The ATF Reverses Course, Again. “We believe this 60-day suspension is an effort to put manufacturers, distributors, and consumers at ease, and to postpone the issue pas the presidential election in hopes that a new administration will take a different view,” Q wrote in a response. Kit Badger has produced a video to address the issue of the ATF seemingly arbitrarily declaring the Q Honey Badger Pistol is an SBR, regulated under the National Firearms Act. An update from Q, not perfect but better than it was. I have read the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy, and I hereby agree to those terms. However, the ATF recently declared that the Q Honey Badger, with its 7-inch barrel and sliding PSB, was actually a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR). The ATF currently appears to be hedging its bets. Urge Trump to rein in his wayward ATF, which recklessly reclassified the Honey Badger Pistol as an SBR. My question to Vasquez was why Q, and why now? By dragging its feet until after the election the agency can adapt to changing tides. Why did the ATF single out the Honey Badger? This isn’t supposed to be ATF’s method of operation yet here we are.”. It’s not a full reversal of the ATF’s decision classifying Q, LLC’s Honey Badger pistol as a short-barreled rifle, but it’s a step in the right direction. He currently serves as a consultant through RickVasquezfirearms.com. “Instruction and direction from this DOJ will simply disappear if the administration loses the election,” Vasquez said. https://www.tactical-life.com/news/atf-targets-q-honey-badger Dear Customer: On August 3rd, 2020, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) d Q® a formal . Since 2012, ATF has repeatedly found that firearms with pistol stabilizing braces, like the one equipped on Q’s Honey Badger pistol, are not “designed, made, and intended to be fired from the shoulder,” and are therefore not subject to regulation under the NFA. So, what’s the deal with the Honey Badger? From SB Tactical: SB Tactical, in conjunction with the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Inc., (FRAC), and the National Rifle Association, stands in solidarity with Q, LLC. . Q announced it would not resume manufacturer of the Honey Badger Pistol at this time. Vasquez subsequently transferred to the ATF Firearms Technology Branch, reviewing guns and gear to adjudicate compliance with firearms law. As of now, the ATF’s action is limited to the Q, LLC (Q) manufactured AR-15 pistol called the “Honey Badger,” but an expansion of the policy, which would … The letter states that the suspension, “will remain in effect for a period of sixty (60) days . Vasquez isn’t overly burdened about hurting people’s feelings either. Q will not succumb to this level of irresponsibility. There are around four million Pistol Stabilizing Braces in circulation today. The width of the brace, the length of pull, and the orientation of the brace relative to the sights all fold in. A coming SIG Sauer expansion into an additional, larger manufacturing facility and campus in... by Tactical Life / and is disappointed by the recent ATF actions in classifying their Honey Badger pistol as a short-barreled rifle. Even though they are made as an arm brace and meet the known criteria of an arm brace, there is no regulation requiring ATF approval.”. Today, Q, LLC received a cease and desist letter from the ATF regarding the Honey Badger pistol. There has been one prosecution of someone accused of redesigning a PSB-equipped pistol into an SBR. October 7, 2020. Click here to read the ATF letter to Q, LLC and click here to read Q’s response. For purposes of clarity, I consent to Athlon's collection, storage, processing, and transfer of my Personal Data and Non-Personal Data (as defined in the Privacy Policy) for the purpose of signing up for the email newsletter. The NRA-ILA has the story:. Q, makers of the Honey Badger pistol, has just issued the following notice to its customers: Dear Customer: On August 3rd, 2020, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) issued Q® a formal Cease & Desist letter, notifying us that ATF has taken the position that the Q Honey Badger Pistol is a short-barreled […] LEAD TIME: Due to the awesomeness of this product and the current market demand please expect extended lead times on all rifle orders. Q Honey Badger Pistol. Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) has issued the following statement regarding ATF's action against Q, LLC's (Q) Honey Badger Pistol and its status as a purported short barrel rifle: Fucking ATF changes their mind and makes shit illegal on a whimear Customer:On August 3rd, 2020, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issue Vasquez’s devoted his entire adult life to service. They have decidedly labeled the Q-Honey Badger AR-style pistol a "bad boy" (via a cease and desist letter), equating it to its animal counterpart of the same name. After the Honey Badger was selling briskly, the ATF ruled that the gun was a short-barreled rifle subject to the registration requirements of the National Firearms Act; that means fingerprints, a $200 transfer tax, and a six- to nine-month wait for processing. Dear Customer: Last Friday, October 9, 2020, our attorneys received a letter from ATF Chief Counsel Joel Roessner “temporarily suspending the Cease and Desist letter” associated with the Honey Badger Pistol by Q®. The White House is pushing back, but Trump is in a political fight for his life. This is a relatively simple issue that ATF has complicated. He prefers the right thing over political correctness. October 6, 2020 . SHUT DOWN: Q LLC Forced to stop Producing Honey Badger Pistol. The current legal morass surrounding PSBs is a ghastly mess. The restrictive features being applied today are evolutionary in an effort at restricting the arm brace.”. The stabilizing brace featured on the Q Honey Badger Pistol is manufactured by SB Tactical.. The ongoing saga between the ATF and Q’s Honey Badger leaves a lot of people asking, “Why the Honey Badger?” For that question, we turned to Rick Vasquez, the former Acting Chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Firearms Technology Branch (FTB). Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Winchester Super X4: Modern 12-Gauge in Old School Woodland Camo, Bergara BMR: Mirco Rimfire Brings Big Features in Small Platform, Ruger Custom Shop Precision Rifle Launches in 6mm Creedmoor, Stay Ready With the High Speed Gear Compact ReVive Medical Pouch, WATCH: Range Time With the Primary Arms GLx 2.5-10×44 FFP Scope, Leupold VX-3HD: New Optic Line Delivers Low-Light Performance, WATCH: Vegas Police, Gun Range Workers Fatally Shoot Suspect, Kelsey DeSantis: The Marine Vet, MMA Fighter, and All-Around Badass. Vasquez feels that this intransigence reflects intentional stalling.”, “How difficult is it to provide criteria? SIG Sauer Announces Expansion to New Facility in New Hampshire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has reversed course on plans to reclassify AR-style pistols with stabilizing braces such as the Honey Badger from Q LLC. He eventually headed the FTB, crafting determinations of profound importance to the firearms industry. ATF Drops NFA Hammer on Q Honey Badger. The ATF, in a letter to Q LLC, arbitrarily and without any evidence, declared that all Honey Badger Pistols, utilizing a pistol stabilizing brace made by SB Tactical, to now be a “Short Barreled Rifle” regulated by the National Firearms Act. Additionally, Q has been directed to send samples of the Mini Fix and Sugar Weasel to the ATF for classification… It is that last one that becomes the most problematic.The Honey Badger has enough proprietary features that it could still be isolated, … We spoke with the former Acting Chief of the ATF's Firearms Technology Branch to find out why the ATF is quietly waging war on the Q Honey Badger. Vasquez believes these latest efforts reflect deliberate attempts to break these smaller companies and build precedents. Therefore, without further clarification from ATF on their evaluation, we will not continue manufacturing the Honey Badger Pistol.". “This opinion letter written on Q’s arm brace is a curious anomaly,” Vasquez said. "We believe this 60-day suspension is an effort to put manufacturers, distributors, and consumers at ease, and to postpone the issue past the presidential election in hopes that a new administration will take a different view," said the company. In response, Q has ceased all production of the Honey Badger Pistol, and submitted a comprehensive letter to ATF and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) stating why they disagree with this classification. Oct 15, 2020, Stay in the know with the latest from the Tactical-Life newsletter, WATCH: Bay Area Officer Puts Down Armed Felon Who Goes for Gun, WATCH: Gas-Soaked, Barricaded Suspect Throws Molotov Cocktail at Police, CZ Hammer Classic: Go Full Doc Holliday With the Side-by-Side 12-Gauge, Mepro RDS Pro V2: Built Mil-Spec Tough and Fast on Target, Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun news, gun reviews and gun magazines for gun enthusiasts, military and law enforcement, You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our. There remains a high level of distrust toward ATF’s motives. ATF rules Q Honey Badger Pistol a SBR/NFA - AR pistol with brace is a SBR - all could be in danger. It appears once again, that the ATF cannot make up its mind when it comes to what is and is not a short barrel rifle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the BATFE or ATF, recently reclassified the Honey Badger Pistol as a short-barreled rifle, or SBR, and issued a cease and desist to Q, the company that makes it.. No formal reason was included with the initial letter sent on August 3, leaving gun owners and gun manufacturers alike confused and understandably angry. and is disappointed by the recent ATF actions in classifying their Honey Badger pistol as a short-barreled rifle. Vasquez is the archetypal warrior curmudgeon, a self-described “crotchety old guy,” and ever the Marine. This is actually the third time the ATF has administratively reclassified a brace-equipped gun as an NFA item. “What is that seal of approval? “At that point the antigun agenda espoused by many in the ATF leadership will take off like a rocket.”. The FTB analyzes each product via some ethereal “looks like a stock to me”-sort of assessment. The ATF meets requests for technical guidance with deafening silence. This is the first time that I've learned anything about the Honey Badger pistol and the brace. Additionally, Q has provided recommendations on how to address the firearms already in circulation. Therefore, without further clarification from ATF on their evaluation, we will not continue manufacturing the Honey Badger Pistol.”, Inquiries from companies like Q and SB Tactical have thus far not been addressed. He provides testimony in accordance with statutes and regulations overseeing firearms as well as professional expertise in National Firearms Act/Gun Control Act issues, firearms importation, weapons training, and advanced gunsmith and evaluation services. One case involved Fostech, while another concerned Kalashnikov. Examining the Pistol Brace’s Future as the ATF Hunts the Honey Badger. Companies like SIG, HK, and Springfield Armory have deep pockets and armies of lawyers. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! When gun problems require serious horsepower, Vasquez is the man. A fight is brewing after federal gun regulators issued a Cease & Desist order to Q, LLC for its popular Honey Badger … Vasquez later worked for the State Department Diplomatic Security Service. Now ATF’s response for a standard criterion on an arm brace is that they are not authorized by DOJ to provide criteria. He is the cumulative product of countless hard places and countless hard things. Q, in a statement, said the time frame of the pause is curious. A victory against Fostech or Q better positions the ATF to move against larger stuff later. New Hampshire-based Q announced Wednesday that federal regulators have given the company's Cease & Desist order over its Honey Badger pistol a 60-day suspension. In practical terms, that is the difference between selling lots of guns and selling basically none. . Q, LLC 4 Cutts St, Unit 3, Portsmouth, NH 03801 www.liveQordie.com . The ATF interprets the regulations and statutes driven by political leanings,” Vasquez said. This move forces all Honey Badger Pistol owners time either Form 1 their pistol to create a Short Barreled Rifle or surrender it to the ATF. An outgoing President’s power is profoundly diminished. ‘It’s hard to not see this as “an overtly political act by the ATF right before an election,”’ Last week, Q LLC, manufacturer of the boutique Honey Badger AR pistol, made public an Aug. 3 cease-and-desist letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that seemed to outlaw thousands of Honey Badger pistols — exposing Q will not succumb to this level or irresponsibility. After an uproar from the firearm industry, the ATF curiously sent another letter to Q’s representative. Yet we have at least three seizures of arm braces described as stocks via ‘unwritten criteria.'”. He fielded the M16A2 service rifle for the 6th Marine Regiment and coordinated the Marines’ development and implementation of the Barrett M82 .50-caliber anti-materiel rifle. “ATF opinion letters are typically lengthy, wordy, and spell out the features that are good and, if installed, bad. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The Honey Badger by Q®: Your new Personal Offensive Weapon. “Given the lack of standards if ATF can win a case on the arm brace then they can cite that court case in follow-on cases,” Vasquez said. His observations on politics, guns, and freedom are mesmerizing. Not only does an SBR require fingerprints, a $200 transfer tax, and a six- to nine-month wait, possession of an unregistered SBR is a felony good for up to 10 years in federal prison. Stay in the know. “They used an arm brace that lacked the FTISB seal of approval,” Vasquez explained. In fact, the curious case against the Q Honey Badger took yet another turn recently. The White House is investigating the ATF’s decision to increase regulation on Q, LLC’s (Q) Honey Badger Pistol, and the agency is warning that other AR-15 pistols may be targeted as well. His insights into the inner workings of the ATF are literally unparalleled. ATF Backs Off of Q and Honey Badger - For 60 Days - YouTube The decision-makers at the ATF know this. Get Guns.com offers and news, Need Help?service@guns.comCall (866)582-4867, PO Box 1131 13800 Nicollet Blvd Burnsville, MN 55337 ©2019 Guns.com. Entrenched ATF policy-makers with a hardline agenda are positioned to enter a Biden Presidency launching a new regulatory offensive. The original letter says in essence that they were approved as an arm brace but without specific criteria for features. During his 21 years in the Marine Corps, Vasquez served as Chief Instructor at the precision weapons shop at Quantico, Virginia.