milling a lower?

[steelrain82]

So I bought an 80% ar lower and I want to mill it out. I dont have anything else as far as parts go or an upper period. So my question is, can I mill it out as a pistol lower? And if so, do I have to serialize it, and mark it as a pistol. And do I have to register it?

Everything I saw in the search seems to assume I have a complete rifle/pistol parts set ready to go. I dont have anything besides thw lower. And I dont want to run into any trouble.

[glbtrottr]

Title 18 of the GCA states that you may manufacture a firearm for your own personal use. You don't have to mark it or designate it as a pistol. No markings are required. You may manufacture your own so long as it is not for sale or distribution.

The Rifle / Pistol item is a California specific gem. You have to manufacture your lower as a single shot pistol to get around the Safe Handgun Roster (read: a solid magazine block that allows no rounds to be inserted) and then retrofit it as an AR Pistol.

For the paranoid, I would take pictures of my milling my own lower.

The serialization requirement comes into play when you want to DROS / Register / sell the firearm. There is no requirement that states that your personally manufactured firearm needs to be serialized. There are specific guidelines as to how your firearm must me marked.

In the event that you were to commit a crime with your firearm, however, the use of an unserialized firearm in the commission of a crime becomes a sentencing modifier, making a felony out of a misdemeanor charge pretty quick.

Also, Joe Flatfoot tends to be substantially ignorant of Gun Laws (read: willfully ignorant, as Mr. Carney said today); if they pull you over and somehow they have the opportunity to inspect your firearms, many questions and assumptions will be made about your unserialized firearm that will result in either a wrongful arrest or an educating discussion with supervisors which will be both time consuming and unfulfilling. They want firearms serialized for the excuse of determining if they are stolen - right after your 4th amendment rights are violated.

An easy way around it is to serialize your firearms even if they're not DROSed. Personal preference.

Lastly, do not ever forget having a CALGUNS flowchart handy dandy along with the number of a Calguns attorney. These are unfortunate times we live in when it comes to Law Enforcement as a privileged class using crappy law to harrass, arrest, and punish otherwise law abiding citizens from trying to exercise similar rights to what they enjoy.

[sl0re10]

There are a couple advantages to just out and out registering it too.

Helps with LEOs who think it is illegal to have an AR let alone AR Pistol... that its registered and comes back as ok when they run it.

If you're accused of carrying it concealed the modifiers get dropped so it goes the other direction. It can keep it from being a felony.

[762ch]

Ive seen some pistols engraved with "Pistol Only" on the lower. That was the plan for my build, I know it's not required.

However I don't want to mix up any of my lowers, can't put the pistol upper on the wrong lower! I see the engraving as a simple way for ME to keep track of which is which. But Im not sure how an LEO would interpret it.