Comment on FR Doc # 2026-09163
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Summary: An individual commenter supports the proposed rule change, arguing that it corrects a long-standing misinterpretation of the statute. They contend that many "sporting" rifles are derived from military designs and that certain military-grade components, such as barrels, are suitable for legitimate hunting configurations.
Writing in support of RIN 1140-AA96. This rule change would finally reverse a 20 year mistake and willful misinterpretation of the statute. Almost all common "sporting" rifles traditionally derive from military designs - for example, how almost all bolt action rifles commonly used for hunting are variations of the Mauser family of military rifles. This has not changed merely because military weapons are now self-loading. For example, the RPK is a light machinegun. However, the very same barrel as the RPK uses is imminently suitable to build a longer barrelled (and thus higher velocity, greater striking power on game, and longer effective range) Kalashnikov derived hunting rifle (such as a Saiga type rifle), in an unquestionably "sporting" configuration.