ATF Agent Tries to Rewrite the Rules on ‘Pin & Weld’ - GunsAmerica

 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is at it again—this time targeting a long-accepted gunsmithing practice they previously approved: the pin and weld.

Thanks to a FOIA request by Gun Owners of America (GOA), we now know that a rogue ATF agent is pushing a bizarre reinterpretation of what constitutes “permanent” barrel attachment.

ATF Says “Approved” — Then Tries to Ban It

Who’s Behind It? A Familiar Name

GOA Raises the Alarm

What Gun Owners Should Know

And if this view spreads within the agency, millions of law-abiding gun owners could find themselves in legal jeopardy.

ATF Says “Approved” — Then Tries to Ban It

The pin and weld method is used by gunsmiths across the country to comply with the National Firearms Act (NFA). By permanently attaching a muzzle device to a barrel under 16 inches, gun owners can legally bring the barrel up to required length—no tax stamp needed. It’s not a loophole. It’s ATF-approved, backed by a 2006 letter affirming the practice.

But now, the ATF’s Firearms Technology Industry Services Branch (FTISB) is attempting to flip the script.

In a case involving Amchar Wholesale’s imported Beretta handgun, ATF acknowledged the company used a standard blind pin and weld. But after clamping the pistol in a bench vise and aggressively wrenching on it, agents managed to unscrew the barrel extension—then declared the attachment “not permanent.”

Let that sink in: ATF broke the gun using brute force, then used that as evidence it wasn’t compliant.

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