United States: In a bold collective development, attorneys general from sixteen distinct jurisdictions lodged a sweeping legal challenge on Monday. Their aim? To thwart the Trump administration’s contentious scheme that greenlights the redistribution of thousands of forced reset triggers (FRTs)—devices known to morph standard firearms into rapid-fire tools akin to machine guns—even in territories where such components are outlawed.
This federal litigation, filed in the US District Court for Maryland, asserts that the initiative not only defies federal directives requiring confiscation of such contraptions but also compels federal agents to become unwilling collaborators in the breach of state-level firearm laws.
The core of this legal fray stems from a pivot in federal policy—nearly 12,000 of these devices, which enable semi-automatic firearms to discharge bullets at astonishing velocities of up to 900 rounds per minute, are poised for return to the public under a recently inked settlement between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), firearm manufacturers, and pro-gun entities.
“These devices are not mere firearm accessories—they’re mechanical catalysts of massacre,” declared Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) during a digital presser flanked by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D). “They transform neighborhoods into warzones. No civilian should be anywhere near such hardware,” according to marylandmatters.org.
Previously, under the Biden administration’s oversight, the ATF had reclassified forced reset triggers as federally prohibited machine guns, leading to their widespread seizure. But that trajectory shifted following President Donald Trump’s executive directive on February 7, titled “Protecting Second Amendment Rights.”
On May 16, the Justice Department revealed its controversial accord with Rare Breed Triggers, a Wichita City, Texas-based firm. The settlement demanded the manufacturer cease crafting these trigger systems for handguns and urged them to prioritize safety promotion and patent defense. In turn, the federal government agreed to return all seized or voluntarily surrendered devices by the end of September and to suspend its enforcement of classification for these items as machine guns.
Lawrence DeMonico, Rare Breed’s president, heralded the development online:
“This marks a significant victory. With the Trump administration rectifying past overreaches of the DOJ, we’ve at last reached a fair conclusion.”
Requests for commentary from Rare Breed and the Justice Department went unanswered.
The National Association of Gun Rights, a co-signatory of the settlement, reinforced the administration’s stance, asserting that any opposition is mere posturing. “A federal court has already affirmed the illegality of the prior seizures,” stated Hannah Hill, vice president of the association. “These states have no legal foothold. This lawsuit is nothing more than theatrical political saber-rattling.”
Yet the multistate complaint paints a dire portrait: in 2023 alone, nearly 47,000 gun-linked fatalities stained American soil. Illinois led the grim tally with 1,691 lives lost. Maryland saw 737 deaths, New Jersey reported 430, and Delaware recorded 124—all states that are parties to the litigation.
Beyond the human cost lies a fiscal hemorrhage. The suit notes that each fatal gun incident in Baltimore incurs roughly USD 2.4 million in expenses, covering emergency response, judicial processing, and long-term incarceration. Nonfatal shootings still exact a USD 1.5 million toll. Newark’s figures mirror this magnitude, underscoring the broader economic wound.
“This transcends political fault lines,” said Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “This is an issue of communal survival. The Trump administration’s pact disregards foundational laws and places lives at the mercy of deadly mechanical enhancements,” as per marylandmatters.org.
Platkin underscored the heartbreak with a personal narrative—recounting the March 2022 death of SeQuoya Bacon-Jones, a 12-year-old caught in crossfire during a casual game of hide-and-seek. “She aspired to be a police officer,” he said, voice heavy with grief.
“Instead, a stray bullet silenced her dreams. If only those in power cared more about our children than the gun lobby. But if they won’t act, we will.”
Joining Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey in the lawsuit are the District of Columbia and the states of Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. All, except Maine and Vermont, currently outlaw either the devices or firearms modified with them.
