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Sixteen States Sue to Halt Return and Sale of Forced-Reset Triggers

Attorneys general contend the Justice Department settlement violates machine gun regulations, risking a surge in gun violence

Guns are displayed at an exhibition booth, during the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) meeting in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber/File Photo
This undated photo provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, shows the FRT-15 made by Rare Breed Triggers, an after-market device for AR-15-style rifles that allows them to shoot seemingly as fast as fully automatic weapons. Evidence shows Rare Breed Triggers fraudulently misled consumers that the devices were legal and continued selling them deceptively even after being warned by the government, a federal judge in New York ruled Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives via AP)

Overview

  • Sixteen Democratic-led states, spearheaded by New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, sued in federal court in Baltimore to block the administration from returning nearly 12,000 seized forced-reset triggers and authorizing their sale.
  • The lawsuit targets a May 16 settlement with Rare Breed Triggers that ended the Biden administration’s ATF ban by reclassifying the devices and stipulating that those not designed for handguns be returned.
  • States argue forced-reset triggers were classified as illegal machine guns under the National Firearms Act and that the settlement would breach federal law.
  • Earlier court rulings split on whether the devices qualify as machine guns, and the administration’s settlement cites the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down the bump stock ban as part of its legal reasoning.
  • Attorneys general warn forced-reset triggers have been used in violent crimes and mass shootings, and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says he will enforce state law banning the conversion devices regardless of federal policy.