The Department of Justice announced a settlement with Rare Breed Triggers (RBT) on Friday, ending a multi-year legal battle over Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs). The agreement aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order protecting Second Amendment rights and follows guidance from the Attorney General’s Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force.
The legal settlement marks a significant reversal of the Biden administration’s efforts to weaponize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in its crackdown on FRT-15s—a trigger mechanism for AR-platform rifles that increases the rate of fire.
Lawrence DeMonico, president of RBT, has explained countless times that the FRT-15 is not a “machine gun” because it does not fire more than one round per single function of the trigger—an essential distinction under the definitions outlined in the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act. As “Forced Reset” implies, spring tension and a mechanical assist reset the trigger after each shot.