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Are we free now to make California legal AOWs?

Mine is engraved because I had it done a while ago, and still waiting for ATF approval. But now I don't know what to do.
Just wait on approval. You don’t know what next administration will do and they can reverse it. I have one nfa sbr and they engraved the inner magwell. Might do another but leaning towards going from 556 to 300bo or 9mm on that one.
 
If you don’t have to engrave anymore how do you show your “pistol” is actually an AOW

It just is one when you add a forward vertical grip. The engraving itself isn’t what made it into an AOW, adding the forward grip did. The AOW engraving was just a requirement of the registration along with all the other requirements like a picture, fingerprints, and the $200 tax stamp.
 
Wish I understood this better. These laws make no sense. An AOW is just a short barreled weapon with a vertical grip?
 
Wish I understood this better. These laws make no sense. An AOW is just a short barreled weapon with a vertical grip?
You have to start with a firearm that was never designed or redesigned to fire from the shoulder. That rules out rifles and shotguns.

If you have a firearm that fires shotgun shells, but came from the factory with only a pistol grip (no stock), then that can be made into an AOW (regardless of having a VFG or not).

Pistols ‘become’ AOWs when you add a VFG.

And generally AOW’s have to be <26” OAL.

Then there are the ‘other’ firearms like the Mossberg Shockwave, haha!! 14” barrels, pistol grip only, OAL just over 26”. Those can be sold via 4473 without NFA registration (not in CA).

This is not an all-inclusive list of course. AOWs are fun, but you have to pay attention to what you’re doing.
 
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