Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. And the machinations of politicians make invention necessary more often than gun owners would like. But, fortunately for the firearms industry, sometimes the new inventions are simple and inexpensive like the AR-15 Receiver Spur from S&B Products.

Passed on the heels of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 included many provisions that increased the regulation and control of firearms in New York, one of which was the creation of a registry of so-called “assault weapons.” Though the SAFE Act’s definition of “assault weapon” is based, as is customary, on various features that are mostly cosmetic, the SAFE Act requires only one of the banned features to be present rather than the typical two. Existing “assault weapons” must be registered, regardless of how long they’ve been owned, and no new firearms meeting the “assault weapon” definition can be purchased in or brought into the state.

Like usual, a pistol-style grip is one of the defining features of an “assault weapon” according to the SAFE Act. The replacement of the pistol grip, however, with the AR-15 Receiver Spur removes the feature. Removing all design characteristics of an “assault weapon” negates the need for registration and allows new guns to be brought into the state. Removing the pistol grip and replacing it with the Spur is a simple operation that can be performed at home by the gun owner without special gunsmithing tools.

The AR-15 Receiver Spur is a simple and durable Nylon 6/6 permanent replacement part that allows operation of the gun and access to the safety lever and mag release. If the pistol grip is the only feature that makes a gun an “assault weapon,” this easy and inexpensive modification is all that’s needed. If the gun is taken out of New York, the Spur can be removed and the pistol grip reinstalled.