A barrel shroud is a covering attached to the barrel

Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....

 of a firearm

Firearm

A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...

, that partially or completely encircles the barrel which prevents operators from injuring themselves on a hot barrel. Slides

Pistol slide

The slide is the part of the weapon on a majority of semi-automatic pistols that moves during the operating cycle and generally houses the firing pin or striker and the extractor, and serves as the bolt...

, extensions of the stock

Stock (firearm)

A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...

 that do not fully encircle the barrel, and the receiver (or frame) of a firearm itself are generally not described as barrel shrouds, though they in fact do act as such. Barrel shrouds are commonly featured on air-cooled machine gun

Machine gun

A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

s, where sustained rapid or automatic fire leave the barrel extremely hot and dangerous to the operator. However, shrouds can also be utilized on semi-automatic firearms, as even a small number of shots can heat up a barrel enough to injure an operator in certain circumstances. Barrel shrouds have little or no effect on the ballistic performance of the firearm onto which they are installed.

Barrel shrouds are also used on pump-action shotguns. The military trench shotgun features a ventilated metal handguard with a bayonet attachment lug. Ventilated handguards or heat shields (usually without bayonet lugs) are also used on police riot shotgun

Riot shotgun

A riot shotgun is a shotgun designed or modified for use as a primarily defensive weapon, primarily by the use of a short barrel. The riot shotgun is used by military personnel for guard duty and was at one time used for riot control, and is commonly used as a patrol weapon by law enforcement...

s and shotguns marketed for civilian self defense. The heat shield protects the user from being burned by a hot barrel and serves as an attachment base for accessories such as sights or sling swivels.

Legislation

The barrel shroud has been the target of legislative restrictions in the United States, along with other features of certain firearms.

• The now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban
  Federal assault weapons ban
  The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law in the United States that included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms, so called "assault weapons"...
  
   included a barrel shroud in its list of features for which a semi-automatic pistol could be banned (two features in the list were required).
• The proposed Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007
  Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007
  The Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007 was a bill that would have ultimately reenacted the ban on assault weapons by the Clinton Administration in 1994...
  
   included a barrel shroud in a list of objectionable features. Any semi-automatic rifle or pistol accepting a detachable magazine and possessing a barrel shroud is defined therein as a "semiautomatic assault weapon."

On the April 18, 2007 showing of MSNBC

MSNBC

MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...

's program, Tucker

Tucker (television program)

Tucker is an American television program on MSNBC that focused on politics, hosted by Tucker Carlson. The show aired from June 6, 2005–March 14, 2008....

, Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...

 interviewed Carolyn McCarthy

Carolyn McCarthy

Carolyn McCarthy is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in central Long Island in west-central Nassau County and includes Mineola, the Five Towns, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, Oceanside, Garden City, Hempstead,...

 concerning the Virginia Tech massacre

Virginia Tech massacre

The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...

and her proposed reauthorization of the Assault Weapons Ban. He asked her to explain the need to regulate barrel shrouds, one of the many provisions of the Act. After admitting that she did not know what a barrel shroud was, McCarthy stated, "I believe it is a shoulder thing that goes up.".