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Rare Breed Triggers & ATF Battle Over FRT-15 Trigger

The ATF recently classified Rare Breed Triggers' FRT-15 as a "machine gun" but the company fired back. Come get all the details on this trigger and the pending case.
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    Rare Breed Triggers squares off against the ATF in a battle over its FRT-15 trigger system, challenging The Bureau’s assertion that its trigger falls under the NFA.

    This comes after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives notified Rare Breed in early July 2021 that its FRT-15 meets the ATF’s definition of a machine gun.

    Rare Breed FRT-15
    Rare Breed FRT-15 (Photo: Rare Breed Triggers)

    As such, the trigger would be classified under the National Firearms Act.

    But why would a trigger be considered a machine gun, and what is the implication for those who already have an FRT-15?

    Keep reading to find out.

    Table of Contents

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    What is the FRT-15?

    At the center of this war between manufacturer and the ATF stands the FRT-15, or Forced Reset Trigger.

    Announced in 2020, the FRT-15 offers a drop-in style assembly but adds a unique feature to it.

    The FRT-15 assembly works by forcibly resetting the gun’s trigger after each round fires.

    In essence it works like this, the round fires and bolt cycles, then the FRT-15 cocks the hammer and resets the trigger simultaneously.

    This allows for quick firing of the gun by the user.

    Rare Breed Triggers FRT – Animation from RARE BREED TRIGGERS on Vimeo.

    The ATF’s Position

    The ATF sent a letter to Rare Breed Triggers in July 2021, informing the company that the FRT-15 would be classified as a machine gun per the National Firearms Act.

    According to the NFA, a machine gun constitutes “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.”

    ATF Legal seagulls

    Classification under the NFA means users must register the trigger assembly and pay a fee to legally own it.

    But hold on, there’s more. The Hughes Amendment of the Firearms Owners Protection Act precludes average citizens from owning machine guns.

    (Learn more about the Hughes Amendment and machine guns in our guide here!)

    Travis M240B Machine Gun Military
    Unless you’re in the military or have a lot of money to throw in, you probably won’t get to own a true machine gun.

    Therefore, the classification would effectively render the FRT-15 inaccessible to most Americans as the possession or sale of the FRT-15 would result in civil or criminal prosecution.

    But Rare Breed contends the FRT-15 is not a machine gun.

    Rare Breed Challenges the ATF

    Rare Breed’s owner and lead counsel Kevin Maxwell filed court documents in early August 2021, arguing that per the ATF’s definition, a machine gun must fire more than one shot by a single function of the trigger – which the FRT-15 does not do.

    While the FRT-15 does enable users to fire a firearm quicker, the company says the trigger assembly is still a semi-automatic trigger capable of only one round per trigger pull.

    “In other words, a ‘machinegun’ is not defined under federal law by how fast it can fire – but rather by the method in which it can fire fast,” the filing says.

    Further, Rare Breed clarifies that the FRT-15 does not act as an auto sear – a tool most often seen alongside machine guns resulting in full-auto function.

    A drop-in auto sear that sold for over $28,000. Best AR-15 accessory ever.
    A drop-in auto sear that sold for over $28,000. Best AR-15 accessory ever.

    “Thus, by definition, the FRT-15 does not make a semiautomatic rifle into a ‘machinegun.’ Rather, the only thing the FRT-15 does is enable a shooter to accomplish a faster follow-up shot because of the speed at which the trigger resets.”

    To see the FRT-15 in action and to hear Rare Breed’s response to the ATF claims, check out the video from Rare Breed below.

    Rare Breed Triggers FRT – Full Video from RARE BREED TRIGGERS on Vimeo.

    Conclusion

    Rare Breed’s request for emergency injunction is still pending, waiting for an official decision in the U.S. District Court system, meaning no official actions have been taken against FRT-15 owners.

    Rare Breed FRT-15
    Rare Breed FRT-15

    Pew Pew Tactical will stay on top of this developing story and bring you updates as they come.

    Is the FRT-15 a machine gun or just a fun part? Let us know in the comments below. For more on gun laws as they relate to the NFA, check out our guides to the National Firearms Act and The Hughes Amendment. Or see what else the ATF is up to in attempting to reclassify frames/receiver and pistol braces.  

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    54 Leave a Reply

    • Tony T. Mainez

      rare breedtriggerfrt com this company is a fraud. This company got me and are working to commit more fraud with this fake shipping company. Which will not ship until 300 plus dollar insurance is paid.
      pakandhaul com tracking this company is a fraud.

      November 24, 2024 1:55 pm
    • Joe Rizzi

      I was scammed by fraudulent dealer claiming to be Rare Breed . There are a lot of websites offering the Rare Breed trigger that are all Frauds. Does anyone know when sale of the Rare Breed triggers will resume or is Rare Breed waiting for the outcome of a BATF challenge to Judge O'Conner of Texas declaring the FRT's are not machine guns.

      August 17, 2024 9:47 am
    • Jess

      Sure would like an update July 2024 if you can spare the time.

      I'm seeing (scam?) websites showing up "selling" frts and I'm trying to figure out the most recent data points.

      July 9, 2024 9:55 am
      • Rod

        There are no legitimate sites at this time. Best bet of getting your hands on one, now that they are legal again, is to visit gun shows, and a distant second of likelihood of finding one, brick and mortar gun stores.

        July 26, 2024 5:33 pm
    • COONDOG

      So where is the legality at this point - I received my letter from the BATFE!!! Wanting me to turn mine in!! What's the latest ruilng?? Thanks, COONDOG

      July 31, 2023 7:07 am
    • Rick Yarber

      The Rare Breed Trigger IS NOT a full auto, trigger, if you use more then 5lbs of pressure when pulling the trigger, it will only fire one time and you must re charge the weapon. A full auto will rapid fire no matter how much pressure you apply, and it does not need to be reset.

      December 5, 2022 11:07 am
    • Chris

      Yes it's a machine gun. Your finger only has to preform one action(pulling the trigger) to achieve fully automatic fire. Law abiding citizens my ass. Skirting around the law to make something knowingly illegal and are surprised when the law comes knocking. If you want a matchine gun, Just save your money and buy one.

      January 30, 2022 11:42 am
      • Shane

        LOL "Your finger only has to preform one action(pulling the trigger)" what other action does your finger preform when firing a firearm??? Its not 1 pull and it keeps firing, your finger still pulls the trigger each individual round. Word for word not full auto by law. Americans following the law and the ATF and government trying to strong arm everyone into sumbission. Go back to pushing mandates.

        February 5, 2022 2:44 pm
      • Cade

        By "skirting around the law" do you really mean "obeying the constitution" or are you really that much of a dumb cuck?

        March 29, 2022 3:48 pm
      • Jc

        You gotta be a complete dumbass

        November 15, 2022 8:00 pm
      • Mark Marsten

        Your reply shows your ignorance of how the trigger works. Educate yourself before making a fool of yourself again.

        January 7, 2023 8:41 pm
      • Jimmy

        You are a clown. STFU

        May 22, 2023 7:42 pm
      • Coloradobear

        You really don't understand what's going on here. The only reason the ATF wants to call this trigger a "machine gun" is because they don't want us to have anything that they feel could give us any kind of advantage in a confrontation with government. The original ruling on the Rare Breed FRT from ATF was that it was not a machine gun nor did it convert an AR-15 into a machine gun and therefore was legal to manufacture and sell to the general public. So, ask yourself this. why did they change their mind and why , after determining that it was not a machine gun, do they now say it is? The ATF has become another weaponized branch of government to steal freedoms randomly as they wish.

        April 16, 2024 7:17 pm
    • Issiah Casto

      So can I get one & not get in trouble for it or not?

      December 8, 2021 6:49 pm
    • Christopher Donovin

      I agree it is simply a forced reset set trigger. I'm sorry if the ATF feels differently just because I can now shoot a little faster. I under stand the bump stock you did leave your depressed finger on the trigger. I own a Sig P226 with a short reset trigger and yes I can unload a double stack quite quickly and having fun doing it

      October 27, 2021 7:44 am
    • Richard O Dunham

      No it's not a machine gun, anybody that has fired a true machine will tell you the same thing. These gun hating political appointees think they can just make up laws. If it was up to them we would be back to sticks and stones. This is still a free country, one of only a very few left. Those at the top want total control over us lowly workers. While they all have paid bodyguards (we pay for ) our lives are not important enough that we should be protected. Too many of us anyway, they have put 80% of the black men behind bars already. Concentration camps for the rest of us.

      October 2, 2021 6:02 am
    • Greg s

      It's fast but not a machine gun my old Ithaca 37 is more of a machine gun going by the definitions

      August 31, 2021 6:15 am
    • Ronald D

      Perhaps someone on here can explain to me why is it that the current administration feels it is ok to try and disarm all of its people but it is ok to arm our enemies with $83 billion in military arms as well as Blackhawk’s. This whole mess that is currently going on both here and abroad sickens me.

      August 28, 2021 8:14 am
      • dennis hawxhurst

        Amen brother! Retired from mil 7 yrs ago. I'm most pissed about mil leadership and lack of balls.

        September 2, 2021 8:03 pm
    • David Pearce

      There is no way this is more than a semi-automatic rifle. I had one for a little while and could never master the quick shots they show. The guy I sold it too was able but did confess he had to work at it. I had better quickness with the Fostech AR II. This is merely the government trying to flex their anti-constitutional muscles.

      August 23, 2021 6:58 pm
    • Kylie J

      It’s literally impossible for the trigger itself to be considered a “machine gun”, as a machine gun constitutes the whole, not the individual small part. Otherwise, where do the bullets go? How is the machine gun held? On and on….

      August 23, 2021 4:51 pm
    • Chris Nosser

      Then why is the bump fire illegal.. it also is 1 single trigger pull each time and is now band..

      August 23, 2021 11:55 am
      • John

        A bump stock essentially allows the user to hold the trigger down and uses the gun’s own recoil to move the weapon itself forward and backward, firing a round each time it does so.

        The FRT-15 trigger does not do that.

        August 23, 2021 3:26 pm
      • Tim

        They are also not illegal anymore.

        August 26, 2021 10:23 am
      • Drew

        They just ruled that bump stocks are not machine guns and hopefully it will be over tuned soon

        September 16, 2021 6:45 pm
    • RON DRAKE

      KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK JACK I

      August 23, 2021 10:43 am
      • Jacki Billings, Editor

        Thanks!

        August 24, 2021 7:38 am
        • Adam

          Hi Jacki,

          Please let me know if it is legal to buy frt trigger or no

          August 26, 2021 7:22 pm
        • Charles

          Where does it he law suit stand today?

          February 29, 2024 2:42 pm
    • P John

      The NFA needs to GO bye bye. So does the BATFE. Alcohol and tobacco goes to USDA and explosives go back to FBI, leave firearms out of it! All commenters need our voice to be heard beyond this thread. As far as the trigger being "defined" as a machine gun? Let's leave definitions to Merriam-Webster not an appointed government bureaucracy attempting to rule over us.

      August 23, 2021 7:34 am
      • Mark Campbell

        Defund the BATFE!!!! Oooo, that feels goooood!!!!

        August 24, 2021 8:23 am
    • Steve Waltermire

      Not a machine gun. But Biden's "AFT" is trying to move the goalposts. We all know they don't like America's sporting rifle.

      August 23, 2021 6:14 am
      • Brother dekates

        The ar is not a sporting rifle.

        August 29, 2021 5:21 pm
        • R D

          Have you ever seen or shot a three gun match

          September 13, 2021 1:33 pm
        • Charles

          I’ve shot many coyotes and few deer with my AR

          February 29, 2024 2:44 pm
    • Jo Tiedeman

      Have you ever seen the head of the BATFE (ATF) ? He hates the 2A, and thinks he'll decide what we the people can have.

      August 23, 2021 4:50 am
      • Andrei

        There's no head, yet. David Chipman is just Biden's nominee (for now at least). Hopefully the only thing he ever becomes in charge of is a drive-thru window.

        August 23, 2021 10:08 pm
    • Mark Campbell

      Not a machine gun, shouldn't matter, RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Besides, Daddy always said NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUNS. Molon Labe.

      August 23, 2021 4:33 am
    • Traw

      Who asked the atf to do this?

      August 23, 2021 2:34 am
    • Griff

      This trigger does not make a machine gun.
      But then again, neither did the bump-stock, and that did not stop it from being banned.

      August 22, 2021 7:19 pm
      • Chris Nosser

        Exactly

        August 23, 2021 11:56 am
    • Jim

      On the surface, the ATF decision makes sense - if it walks, talks, acts like a duck...it must be a duck. But the law does not always include common sense. By law, the FRT-15 does not a machine gun make. I would love to see this go to the Supreme Court and have them rule there shall be no infringement of gun ownership, thereby negating the NFA.

      August 22, 2021 7:10 pm
      • Steve Waltermire

        That would be neat. Except I am still not convinced this court is conservative.

        August 23, 2021 6:15 am
    • GunSmoke

      As The law is written, rare breed trigger system is NOT A machine gun by any imagination.
      One shot per pull or action of the trigger is maintained. Period!
      We all know the action of the ATF against rare breed trigger company as well as all law abiding Americans are nothing more than political manipulation and attack to disarm Americans so the government can steam roll over the citizens.
      All about government control.

      August 22, 2021 4:41 pm
    • BobF

      I wonder if this is seen as a distinction without a difference, at least to the gun-ignorant useful idiots. If you haven't seen the Babylon Bee's "story" on an AR-15 have a look - it's pretty hilarious:

      H T P P S :// babylonbee.com/news/op-ed-i-tried-firing-an-ar-15-yesterday-and-i-still-havent-stopped-soiling-myself

      August 22, 2021 4:35 pm
    • Dennis Sumner

      They started out with "baby steps", now they're takin full strides!! They've been empowered don't ya know!?

      August 22, 2021 4:31 pm
    • Will

      Abolishing the ATF really needs to be on the agenda the next time the pendulum swings back to the right.

      August 22, 2021 4:19 pm
      • RD

        AMEN

        August 22, 2021 7:03 pm
      • Dekatessera

        The pendulum hasn't swung right in over a hundred years.

        August 29, 2021 5:24 pm
    • Candido E DeLeon

      I have fired a few machine guns in my time. I don't remember the trigger bouncing back and forth while I was shredding the enemy's vehicles. If the trigger moves forwards, and you take your finger off, and it doesn't fire another round, "that ain't a machine gun."

      August 22, 2021 3:45 pm
    • autobahn

      I think its 'fun' but in reality I don't think a machine gun is needed to secure my homestead so I don't really care. However, it really doesn't matter what I think, what matters is what the courts think and that determines what the ATF will do to crack down on this part.

      August 22, 2021 11:40 am
      • Dekatessera

        Actually what the court thinks is utterly irrelevant. The second amendment says shall not be infringed.

        August 29, 2021 5:25 pm
      • Ricardo Cabeza

        Until the civil war comes to your door. This is what they fear and want you disarmed.

        December 19, 2021 8:24 am
    • Tom

      The world has gone insane...

      August 21, 2021 10:39 pm
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