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Trump's DOJ drops Brooklyn case against trigger that turns rifles into rapid-fire weapons
By
Samantha Max
Published May 20, 2025
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Courtesy, U.S. Attorney
By
Samantha Max
Published May 20, 2025
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President Donald Trump’s administration has upended a years-long attempt by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn to block the sales of a device that allows rifles to quickly fire a volley of shots.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York filed a lawsuit in January 2023 arguing an out-of-state company was selling illegal triggers to customers across the country — including in New York. Prosecutors said the devices, known as forced reset triggers, let users transform semi-automatic rifles into automatic machine guns, which are prohibited under federal law. Executives at the company, Rare Breed Triggers, said their products fit within the bounds of what’s legal. In September 2023, a federal judge sided with prosecutors and banned Rare Breed Triggers from selling the devices while the court case played out.
But the case took a drastic pivot late last week, when the Department of Justice announced it had reached a settlement with the company. A judge dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday, according to court records.
“This Department of Justice believes that the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “We are glad to end a needless cycle of litigation with a settlement that will enhance public safety.”
The dismissal follows a series of moves in the last few months to roll back gun industry regulations from President Joe Biden’s administration. A few weeks after taking office, Trump signed the “Protecting Second Amendment Rights” executive order, which called for an extensive review of rules, policies and reports related to firearms from the past four years. Bondi has also established a Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force to “to use litigation and policy to advance, protect, and promote compliance with the Second Amendment.”
All the terms of the settlement are not public, but the Justice Department said in a press release that Rare Breed Triggers has agreed not to develop any forced reset triggers for pistols. Lawrence DeMonico, president of Rare Breed Triggers, said in an email that the settlement promises to return forced reset triggers that were seized to their owners. He said the agreement also prevents the government from arguing that the triggers are illegal in the future, even if Congress changes the laws.
“This is a tremendous victory for all gun owners, and the risks, delays and costs of appeals has ended,” DeMonico said. “While its business was interrupted, Rare Breed continued to innovate and patent new variations of forced reset triggers and for different firearm platforms. This settlement frees Rare Breed to enforce its rights.”
Second Amendment advocates have praised the decision to dismiss the litigation against Rare Breed Triggers. John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said the settlement is one of several “critical steps” the president has taken to safeguard gun rights and correct “the bureaucratic overreach” of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the prior administration.
But proponents of stricter gun laws warn about potentially dire consequences. David Pucino, legal director of Giffords Law Center, which advocates for gun safety, said the settlement could lead to more injuries and casualties of both intended targets and bystanders.
“It’s very possible that in the years ahead we’re going to see an increase in the number of civilians that are exposed to automatic fire,” he said. “I think it’s a dangerous place to be.”
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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