In a move stirring national controversy, sixteen attorneys general sue over Forced Reset Trigger settlement, seeking to block a legal agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a firearms manufacturer that had its property unlawfully seized. The lawsuit, filed Monday, attempts to stop the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) from returning thousands of legally purchased Force Reset Triggers (FRTs) to their rightful owners.
This aggressive legal action comes in direct response to last month’s settlement between the DOJ and Rare Breed Triggers, the manufacturer at the center of the legal battle. For nearly four years, Rare Breed has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the ATF, which had declared its FRTs to be equivalent to illegal machine guns—despite no congressional legislation supporting such a claim.
The ATF’s unprecedented interpretation led to the seizure of approximately 12,000 FRTs, many of which were owned by law-abiding citizens who purchased them in full compliance with federal law. With the court ruling that these accessories do not meet the legal definition of a machine gun, the recent settlement mandates that the government return the devices.
A Constitutional Clash Between States and Federal Authority
Despite the legal resolution, 16 state attorneys general are now attempting to upend the agreement, asserting that their states will be negatively affected if the devices are returned. Their lawsuit claims that the return of the FRTs could lead to an uptick in violence and criminal misuse. But critics argue this is a thinly veiled attempt to undermine the Second Amendment and expand state authority beyond its constitutional limits.
The Constitution grants the federal government the authority to regulate interstate commerce and interpret federal firearm law—not individual state attorneys general. Legal scholars have been quick to point out that these AGs are stepping into dangerous territory by assuming their own legal interpretations should override those of a federal court and the DOJ itself.
Interestingly, two of the most historically anti-gun states—California and New York—did not initially join the suit. Whether this is due to strategic reasons or legal hesitation remains unclear, but it highlights a fragmented and piecemeal strategy among anti-gun officials seeking to restrict firearm rights by any means necessary.
The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), which originally brought the successful lawsuit against the ATF, has strongly condemned the states’ lawsuit. NAGR argues that the AGs are not acting in the interest of public safety, but are rather politically motivated and seeking to undermine judicial due process.
A Battle Over Property Rights and Government Overreach
At its core, the case is about more than just firearm accessories—it is about government overreach and the sanctity of property rights. When the ATF unilaterally declared that FRTs were equivalent to machine guns, it bypassed the legislative process and disrupted the lives and businesses of law-abiding Americans. The court ruling clarified that the agency had overstepped its bounds.
Now that the government is being held accountable and the seized property is scheduled to be returned, anti-gun AGs are doing everything in their power to stop that from happening.
Opponents of the lawsuit warn that allowing these AGs to intervene could set a dangerous precedent. If state officials are allowed to interfere in federal legal agreements simply because they disagree with them ideologically, then the balance of power between states and the federal government could be irreparably disrupted.
For gun owners, property rights advocates, and defenders of the Constitution, this case is shaping up to be a litmus test for the future of Second Amendment protections in America. The fight over Forced Reset Triggers has become symbolic of a much larger battle—one over federal authority, judicial independence, and the erosion of individual rights by political ambition.
As the legal drama unfolds, one thing is certain: the battle over the Second Amendment is far from over.
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