So it makes it better for, say, tactical combat in closed in spaces, and that's why they want to punish getting short barrel rifles? And this gets around that via technicalities?
Originally the NFA had an extra tax and regulatory requirements on pistols, short barrel shotguns, and short barreled rifles. (because they were all concealable) The pistol thing proved to unpopular so they dropped it but left the SBS/SBR requirements that no longer made sense without the pistol provision.
It also had similar provisions for tax and regulations on silencers and machine guns(defined as multiple shots per human action, not by a truly automatic action, another oddity that makes it include a double barrel that fires both barrels per pull, but not a cranked gatling gun).
So what does this accomplish exactly? You can conceal carry it or something?
So it makes it better for, say, tactical combat in closed in spaces, and that's why they want to punish getting short barrel rifles? And this gets around that via technicalities?
Originally the NFA had an extra tax and regulatory requirements on pistols, short barrel shotguns, and short barreled rifles. (because they were all concealable) The pistol thing proved to unpopular so they dropped it but left the SBS/SBR requirements that no longer made sense without the pistol provision.
It also had similar provisions for tax and regulations on silencers and machine guns(defined as multiple shots per human action, not by a truly automatic action, another oddity that makes it include a double barrel that fires both barrels per pull, but not a cranked gatling gun).
It's legally a pistol so you can hunt under pistol rules and conceal carry it.
It's functionally more like a rifle so best of both worlds.
Probably not. But its shorter and thus easier to use in cramped spaces.
Certain states have different hunting laws that make 'pistols' advantageous too.