I've read in several places that Franklin Armory is coming out with an AR that has a sub-16" barrel and an actual buttstock and somehow it is not subject to NFA. Nobody is sure how exactly they pulled it off. Most likely explanation is that, like the binary trigger from the same firm, Franklin has found a microscopic loophole in the language of the NFA. If the gun is originally manufactured with both a stock and a sub-16" barrel it is not a non-NFA handgun or rifle. This also precludes it from being an NFA weapon made from a non-NFA rifle or handgun. The overall length is over 26", which apparently precludes it from being an AOW and somehow nullifies the barrel length issue because the weapon is not a non-NFA rifle and was never manufactured as such.
I'm not planning to buy one but my hat is off to them for creative thinking:
https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/fra...ttern-firearm/