Major gun control laws have shown no drop in homicide rates, which rose after the 1968 Gun Control Act.

Makers instead create firearms that sit outside legal definitions. Franklin Armory in 2019 built two models the ATF first struggled to place under the National Firearms Act; a later lawsuit settlement confirmed the designs carry no NFA limits because of their distinctive traits.

The Kali Key, with tens of thousands sold over ten years, uses a drop-in charging system that redirects gas and stops the bolt from cycling, converting rifles to bolt-action use and avoiding California Penal Code 30515 assault-weapon rules. During the 1994 federal ban, firms omitted bayonet lugs and collapsible stocks from AR-15s, which then sold by the millions and became the country’s most popular rifle.