The maker of the proprietary stabilizing arm brace on the embattled Q Honey Badger pistol, currently the subject of scrutiny by federal regulators, is standing "undoubtedly and unwaveringly" behind the gun maker.
SB Tactical, the company largely seen as the inventor of the modern pistol brace, in a statement this week slammed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determination that the Honey Badger in its current configuration is a short-barreled rifle regulated under the National Firearms Act. SB Tactical contends the action by the ATF uses a "seemingly arbitrary set of criteria and promises to create unnecessary confusion and anxiety amongst millions of legal gun owners and the industry as a whole."
The brace maker points to the fact that the regulatory agency won't evaluate the accessory by itself, but has elected to couple it with other features of the attached firearm to "holistically" determine a firearm’s NFA classification while at the same time being fuzzy on just what characteristics are at play.
"SB Tactical will, undoubtedly and unwaveringly, continue to support Q, LLC," said SB Tactical. "We are tirelessly working with congressional leadership, the White House, and the Department of Justice to ensure that legal gun owners’ rights and the rights of manufacturers are not in jeopardy. It is our hope that the ATF’s latest policy interpretations, politically motivated or not, are corrected and that the confusion created can be reversed."
SB Tactical's SBA3 brace is likely the most popular in circulation and is widely used in the firearms industry for AR-style pistols.
Honey Badger inventor weighs in
The gun that broke the internet in 2012 came originally from Georgia-based AAC, the byproduct of a proposed replacement for the HK MP5/MP7 for use by special operations groups.
Kevin Brittingham, who developed the Honey Badger initially, started Q in New Hampshire in 2017, with the current version of the HBP as its flagship firearm.
Brittingham sat down this week with 2A supporter Colion Noir-- who is an attorney away from the camera-- about the controversy over the Badger and what the public can do when it comes to advocacy. As explained by Brittingham, the problem goes far beyond Q and HBP owners, potentially targeting millions of lawful gun owners.
“There’s 1.2 or 1.3 million SBA3s on the market—there’s 4 million arm braces—so this is a much larger deal than the bump stock,” he says.
Cover photo: SB Tactical.
