Ok, being an old-timer, I have an FFL Newsletter (1990 Volume 1, page 4) which addresses PG shotguns and the interpretation by ATF that these firearms are not "shotguns" under the GCA. This same issue was addressed again in a February 1999 FFL Newsletter (page 3), again stating that a PG shotgun is not a "shotgun" under the GCA. So the masked man was correct in that this issue has been around for a long time. We old-timers may be old, but we still got some smarts . . . and a memory to boot! The "other" category of firearms is relatively new (2008), but the PG shotgun issue is not.

This may be the wrong venue to ask these questions, and I apologize in advance if it is, but...

I've got a 12 gauge Mossberg that I bought new from Academy Sports a few years ago. It's the pistol gripped Persuader model. Am I understanding this correctly that this firearm is not considered a shotgun? If that is correct, is there a legal minimum barrel length on a "firearm" or "other" firearm? My understanding is that rifles must have a minimum of 16 inches of barrel, and shotguns 18. But I can't find a reference to a minimum length on a "firearm" or "other".

If I cut the barrel of my Mossberg so that is it even with the magazine tube, and thus under 18 inches, is that legal since the Mossberg is not a shotgun but is a "firearm" or "other"?

If the "firearm" or "other" classification is correct, does that classification go away when a traditional buttstock (not just a pistol grip in other words) is added to the firearm? My understanding, as a non-ATF, non-FFL person, is that if I take the stock off my rifle and put a pistol grip on it, it does not then become a pistol, it stays a rifle. And if the overall length when I do that is under 26 inches it becomes a NFA item, a Short Barreled Rifle. So by that logic, it would seem to me that adding a traditional buttstock to my Mossberg does not transform it into a shotgun, it would continue to stay a "firearm" or "other" since that's what is was originally, but maybe I am wrong there.

If adding a traditional buttstock to my Mossberg Persuader does not transform it into a shotgun, then it could legally have an under 18 inch barrel, correct? Since it would still be a "firearm" or "other" and not a "shotgun".

Again, sorry if this is the wrong place to ask about this, but this is very confusing for a layperson to figure out. I have asked three FFLs about it this weekend, and they could not come to a decision, and the young fella I talked to at the ATF office said it was a shotgun to begin with, not an "other" or "firearm" and seemed to get annoyed when I asked about the newsletters referenced in previous posts.

Just so y'all know, I have no nefarious purpose in store for this gun. I bought it because it fits inside the toolbox on my truck. And I thought it would be great to have for coyotes and armadillos and putting down the occasional deer that's hit by a car (which happens a lot out here), and not be too expensive to worry about it banging around in the toolbox. But after shooting it a bit, I decided I really don't like a pistolgrip-only shotgun. It hurts my hands, and it's not all that accurate. I'd like to add a buttstock to it, but then it's too long for my toolbox. But if I can trim the barrel a bit it'll still fit. Unfortunately the barrel would need to be trimmed to less than 18 inches. And I have thought about adding a folding or collapsible buttstock, but the ones I have looked at are just not that comfortable to me. I'd like a nice solid buttstock, so it's just like shooting my other shotguns, and heck my rifle for that matter.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on a bit there. Thanks in advance for the help, or for pointing me in the right direction.