A Rule That Never Really Survived Contact With the Courts For years, owners of braced pistols lived with a cloud hanging over their gear. That cloud has finally cleared. On April 29, 2026, ATF Director Robert Cekada unveiled a sweeping 34-rule reform package — one of the largest overhauls of federal firearms regulation in decades. Tucked inside it: the formal rescission of the controversial 2023 pistol stabilizing brace rule. If you've been following the saga since early 2023, this outcome …