The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives formally rescinded the Biden-era pistol brace rule on April 10, 2025, restoring an estimated 30 to 40 million stabilizing brace-equipped pistols to their prior legal status. The rule's rescission was confirmed by Fox News, NPR, the Associated Press, the National Rifle Association, and ATF's own Federal Register notice.

The original rule, finalized in January 2023 under the Biden administration, had reclassified many pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles — a category requiring National Firearms Act registration, a $200 tax stamp, and a months-long background check. The rule triggered an estimated 30-40 million affected devices, far exceeding ATF's own projections. Multiple federal courts issued injunctions blocking enforcement, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the rule was likely unlawful.

Under Attorney General Pam Bondi and ATF Director Kash Patel, the Trump administration withdrew the rule entirely. The rescission took effect April 10 without a replacement rule. ATF said it would rely on prior guidance that treated stabilizing braces as legal accessories when used as designed. Gun-rights groups celebrated; gun-safety advocates said it created a new regulatory gap.

Congress had also acted: the House passed a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act in 2023, though it stalled in the Senate. NPR reported that gun-safety groups called the reversal part of a broader rollback of ATF enforcement. Fox News and the Daily Wire characterized it as ending what they called an ATF 'overreach' that had threatened to criminalize millions of law-abiding gun owners.