The recent settlement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Rare Breed Triggers marks a pivotal moment for the aftermarket trigger industry, especially for forced reset triggers (FRTs) like the Rare Breed FRT-15. The agreement ends the federal government’s ban on these devices, which had previously been classified as illegal machine gun conversion devices by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

FRTs are aftermarket parts designed to increase the rate of fire of semiautomatic rifles by forcibly resetting the trigger after each shot. While they allow for rapid firing, each shot still requires a separate trigger pull, which was the crux of Rare Breed’s legal defense. The ATF had argued that FRTs effectively turned semiautomatic rifles into machine guns, but a series of court decisions, including a Supreme Court ruling on bump stocks, undermined this interpretation.

The settlement is widely seen as a victory for Second Amendment advocates and the firearms industry. It not only lifts the ban on FRT-15 triggers but also sets a precedent that could affect how other innovative aftermarket gun parts are regulated in the future.

Key Outcomes for Aftermarket Trigger Owners and Manufacturers

• The DOJ will no longer enforce federal machine gun laws against the possession or transfer of FRTs, meaning these triggers are no longer classified as machine guns under federal law.
• The government has agreed to return FRTs previously seized from Rare Breed and from individuals who surrendered them, provided that owners request their property back by September 30, 2025, following ATF instructions.
• Rare Breed Triggers is allowed to continue manufacturing and selling FRTs for rifles, but has agreed not to develop or market such devices for handguns.

The settlement includes a clause preventing the government from reclassifying these triggers as illegal machine guns in the future, even if laws change, effectively shielding FRTs from future reinterpretation under current statutes. The decision is expected to prompt other manufacturers to enter the market with their own FRT designs, as the legal risk has been removed.