Raoul Joins 15 Attorneys General in Suing Federal Government Over Unlawful Agreement Involving Forced Reset Triggers
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general, today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to not enforce federal law prohibiting the distribution and possession of forced reset triggers (FRTs) and to redistribute thousands of those devices across the country. Raoul is also reminding Illinoisans that FRTs, which are devices that turn semi-automatic firearms into machine guns, remain illegal under Illinois law.
“The Trump administration’s decision to redistribute devices that convert firearms into machine guns is extreme and would have a devastating effect on the safety of communities across our country. Federal law bans these devices, and this settlement does not change the law,” Raoul said. “Illinois law is also clear: Forced reset triggers are unlawful. I will continue to enforce the ban on forced reset triggers under Illinois law, and I will advocate against any policy that will contribute to the gun violence that has become common in too many communities in Illinois and across the nation.”
Although the ATF previously classified FRTs as machine guns under federal law, the federal government signed a settlement agreement promising to stop enforcing federal law prohibiting FRTs and to redistribute thousands of FRTs the ATF had previously seized.
In recent years, machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) like FRTs, which dramatically increase a firearm’s rate of fire, have frequently been used in violent crimes and mass shootings, worsening the gun violence epidemic in the United States. Firearms equipped with MCDs can exceed the rate of fire of many military machine guns, firing up to 20 bullets in one second. The ATF has noted a significant rise in the use of MCDs, leading to increasing incidents of machine-gun fire.
Since at least 1975, the ATF has classified devices that operate similarly to FRTs as machine guns prohibited by federal law. FRT devices replace the standard trigger on a semiautomatic firearm to allow the shooter to maintain continuous fire with one trigger pull, which is similar to the operation of fully automatic weapons. Despite the prohibition, in recent years the ATF estimates that at least 100,000 FRTs have been distributed across the country. The ATF’s records also establish that machine-gun conversion devices, including FRTs, are showing up more often at crime scenes.
In their lawsuit – filed today in U.S. District Court in Maryland – Raoul and the coalition seek to prevent the redistribution of FRTs because they are prohibited by federal law, which prohibits anyone from owning machine guns – the definition of which includes devices that convert firearms into automatic weapons. The lawsuit explains that the federal government cannot violate federal law, even when it tries to bury those violations in a settlement agreement. The lawsuit also explains that the redistribution of FRTs will permanently threaten public safety nationwide, highlighting that the ATF has even admitted that returning FRTs in states that prohibit them would “aid and abet” violations of state laws.
Today’s lawsuit is the latest action Raoul has taken to address gun violence. The Attorney General’s office developed Crime Gun Connect, a state-of-the-art crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement that incorporates information the Attorney General’s office receives from the ATF National Tracing Center. Crime Gun Connect provides eTrace data that allows law enforcement agencies to access accurate crime gun data at both the state and federal levels. In May, the Illinois General Assembly passed Attorney General Raoul’s legislation to require all local law enforcement agencies in Illinois to participate in eTrace.
Raoul’s office also collaborates with local law enforcement to combat gun trafficking, and Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office works with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also prosecutes individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
In addition to supporting law enforcement efforts to keep communities safe from gun violence, the Attorney General’s office supports victims’ service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Violence Prevention and Crime Victim Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General’s website.
Joining Raoul in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
