The Justice Department has effectively legalized a controversial rifle accessory that dramatically increases firing rate after a new deal made with its manufacturer, Rare Breed Triggers.
Known as a “forced-reset trigger,” the aftermarket modification was previously classified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as an illegal machine gun conversion device. The deal now enables sales while also forcing the federal government to return previously seized or surrendered devices.
Gun control advocates have said that the decision will worsen gun violence. “The Trump administration has just effectively legalized machine guns,” Vanessa Gonzalez of GIFFORDS, a leading gun-control group, told Reuters. “Lives will be lost because of his actions.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the decision. “This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right,” she said in a statement.
“We are glad to end a needless cycle of litigation with a settlement that will enhance public safety.”
The settlement marks a significant policy departure from the Biden era ATF, which had pursued an aggressive crackdown on forced-reset triggers by arguing they allow AR-15-style rifles to fire continuously with minimal trigger pulls—just like fully automatic weapons. The previous administration pointed to the frequency with which such weapons were used during mass shootings.
this isn’t auto. its a forced reset trigger. Video on Sunday pic.twitter.com/Zl8OmFkwP9
— Garand Thumb (@GarandThumb1) April 9, 2025
Rare Breed Triggers, once represented by Trump’s current White House counsel David Warrington, fought the classification for years after the Biden DOJ sued the company in New York. Its president, Lawrence DeMonico, hailed the outcome as a win against “tyrannical” federal overreach.
“This victory is a landmark moment in the fight against unchecked government overreach,” DeMonico said.
As part of the deal, the company agreed not to develop similar devices for handguns, the DOJ said.
In 2024, there were 488 mass shootings across the U.S. according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines the term as involving four or more injured or dead. However, the same website has recorded a decline in mass shootings and gun violence this year.
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