As Adam breaks it down in “legalese”, the AOW or “Any Other Weapon” is indeed the “bastard child” of the National Firearms Act. Unlike most of the National Firearms Act firearms, the cost to transfer is $5 – yet the cost to make one is still $200. How does that make sense?

Adam attempts to break it down, starting with the definition:

Any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive, a pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smooth bore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell, weapons with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length from which a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading, and shall include any such weapon which may be readily restored to fire. Such term shall not include a pistol or revolver having a rifled bore, or rifled bores, or weapons designed, made, or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammuntion.

(Phew)!

Basically, this means a weapon that generally does not look like a firearm like pen guns, knife guns, etc. The definition also encompasses some short-barrel smooth bore shotgun “pistols” (but does not include Judge-type revolvers which have a rifled bore). This continues to go into further obscure firearms from the early part of the century.

For the full story, hit up the video below for details on what, exactly, an AOW is, their regulation, and its impact on us all as shooters.