Dude- now that would be cool watching you blow your face off! Or at least having your new toy coming up and breaking your eye socket.
j/k - not cool at all.
Maybe he means if you take a short-stocked .22 rifle and saw it all the way back to the breech it might be considered a 'handgun'?
Where's that "journalist's guide to guns" picture again?
Found it:
journalist guide to guns.jpg