The term is most commonly used with rifles manufactured or retrofitted to comply with gun laws in California.
[1][better source needed] Guns with a bullet button, pistol grip, flash suppressor and folding stock have been considered assault weapons requiring formal registration in California since July 1, 2018.
One common change for guns with a flash suppressor is to replace it with a muzzle brake, and some have converted their guns to use .22 Long Rifle cartridges, which are smaller and less expensive than the 5.56×45mm NATO / .223 Remington cartridges that AR-15 style rifles are predominantly chambered in.
[5] Some companies, like Cobalt Kinetics and Hi-Point Firearms, have released rifles designed to be "featureless" under California's assault weapons statute.
[6][7][4] Both the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) and the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) have released detailed information about "featureless builds".