Receiver (firearms)
firearm component that houses the operating parts of the weapon
In firearms terminology and law, the firearm frame or receiver is the part of a firearm which integrates other components by providing housing for internal action components such as the hammer, bolt or breechblock, firing pin and extractor, and has threaded interfaces for externally attaching ("receiving") components such as the barrel, stock, trigger mechanism and iron/optical sights. Some firearm designs, such as the AR-15 platform, feature receivers that have 2 separate sub-assemblies called the upper receiver which houses the barrel/trunnion, bolt components etc and the lower receiver (trigger mechanism housing in some cases) that holds the fire control group, pistol grip, selector, stock etc. In several court cases beginning in 2014, ATF claimed the lower of a Glock or AR-15 was the frame or receiver and the court ruled it didn't meet the legal definition. Despite this, the definition hasn't been corrected since 1986, but people are still being criminally charged.
The receiver is often made of forged, machined, or stamped steel or aluminium. Apart from these traditional materials, modern techniques have introduced polymer and sintered metal powder receivers to the market.
Mounting
A barrel may typically be affixed to a firearm receiver using barrel and receiver action threads or similar methods.
In Canadian law
The receiver or frame is legally the firearm, and as such it is the part that requires a manufacturer's serial number and valid Possession and Acquisition Licence to acquire and own. In the case of a handgun frame or revolver frame, it is the part that requires a Restricted-class PAL (RPAL), and registration.
In US law
For the purposes of United States law, the receiver or frame is legally the firearm, and as such it is the controlled part.
The public source identifies “Receiver (firearms)” as firearm component that houses the operating parts of the weapon. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Receiver, firearms and firearm.
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This entry incorporates text from “Receiver (firearms)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.