ORLANDO, FL -(Ammoland.com)- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has visited another set of merchants of forced reset triggers.
On Friday, April 1st, 2022, the ATF visited several forced reset triggers retailers over the companies selling the Rare Breed Triggers FRT-15. This time the ATF requested customer records of the purchasers of the triggers. The ATF did not have a court order to take possession of the documents, so the agents left empty-handed. None of the three (3) retailers AmmoLand News spoke to on background gave up the records. AmmoLand News is not aware and does not believe any individual gun owners have been visited over any FRT triggers.
Another curiosity was that the ATF only wanted sales records for the period after the Bureau sent an open letter to federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) stating that some FRT triggers were machine guns.
The ATF did not specify in the letter what triggers the agency considered to be machine guns but did threaten to charge the sellers with violating the National Firearms Act (NFA).
These visits came on the heels of the ATF visiting one of the vendors that manufacture the FRT-15 for Rare Breed Triggers. Earlier in the year, the law enforcement agency also visited three locations owned by Big Daddy Enterprises and confiscated all Rare Breed FRT-15 and Wide Open Enterprises Wide Open Triggers that the company had on hand.
The Forced Reset Triggers Saga
The controversy around forced reset triggers started when Rare Breed Triggers was served with a “cease and desist” notice by the ATF over the FRT-15. The agency tested and determined that the trigger converts a semi-automatic AR-15 style firearm into a “machine gun”. The ATF accused the trigger of being a type of drop-in auto sear. According to federal regulations, any device that converts a firearm into a machine gun will be considered a machine gun itself.
The ATF examiner determined the FRT-15 was a machine gun by equipping an AR-15 with the trigger. The ATF employee then used a zip tie to hold back the trigger. According to the report, the rifle continued to fire more than one shot. A force reset trigger works by the bolt pushing the trigger forward, resetting the trigger allowing for faster shots. Since a zip tie is flexible, many advocates wondered if the trigger was reset and, due to the elasticity of the zip tie, pulled the trigger again.
Rare Breed then sued the ATF over the determination asking the courts for a preliminary injunction. Rare Breed was NOT granted a preliminary injunction but then pursued a permanent injunction. Due to a missed deadline, the court case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Rare Breed can refile, which the company vowed to do. The company has so far refused to comply with the “cease and desist” letter.
The ATF recently sent out a law enforcement notice to police departments around the country instructing officers how to identify the embattled triggers. The letter called the triggers machine guns. The ATF then followed it up with the aforementioned open letter to FFLs.
TAC CON 3MR is or was [it may not be produced anymore] the only forced reset trigger on the market with an opinion letter declaring it legal. Some analysts believe that this trigger was the one that the ATF is currently not classifying as a machine gun since the ATF would have to issue a new opinion letter. Other companies used the opinions of outside consultants and the original letter as evidence that FRTs are legal.
Rare Breed Triggers has been made aware of the visits, but company President Lawrence DeMonico did not return AmmoLand News’s request for comment.
If you have been visited about an FRT please drop us a line to our encrypted mailbox at bstips@protonmail.com. We will guarantee your anonymity.
(U/LES/TAX) Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs) ATF Document Jan 13, 2022
About John Crump
John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
