It’s published
Sixteen states have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over proposals to allow the sale of mandatory reset triggers.
The lawsuit, released Monday, alleges that trigger return could violate federal law, putting both residents and law enforcement at risk, and exacerbate gun violence. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Maryland.
There have been some legal battles over devices that replace the typical triggers of AR-15-style rifles. The Biden administration previously claimed that Trigger qualifies as a machine gun under federal law.
The rare species of triggers — the manufacturer of devices — says the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Bureau misclassified them and ignored requests to stop selling triggers before they were sued by the Biden administration.
The Justice Department last month announced an agreement that would allow the company to sell forced reset triggers. Previously, the company was represented by David Warrington, who is now Trump’s White House lawyer.
The settlement agrees to refrain from manufacturing devices for handguns, according to the Department of Justice.
The settlement also requires that the ATF be returned a trigger that has been confiscated or voluntarily surrendered to the government by its owner.
The lawsuits launched by the state are spearheaded by the Attorney Generals of Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
Other participating states include Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia.
All attorney generals in these states are affiliated with Democrats, but their Hawaiian offices are officially nonpartisan.
Additional sources •AP
