SEATTLE, WA – Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has joined a coalition of 15 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a federal lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Trump administration. The suit aims to block the distribution of thousands of forced reset triggers, which are classified by the coalition as illegal machine gun conversion devices.
The lawsuit follows a recent settlement agreement in which ATF committed to cease enforcement actions against forced reset trigger devices and to return thousands of previously seized items. The plaintiff states argue that this move violates federal law prohibiting machine guns and machine gun conversion devices.
Forced reset triggers are firearm components that can dramatically increase a weapon’s rate of fire. According to the lawsuit, such devices function similarly to fully automatic weapons and have been increasingly recovered at crime scenes in recent years. ATF data cited by the states indicates that machine gun conversion devices have contributed to a 1,400% increase in machine gun-style fire between 2019 and 2021.
The settlement stems from conflicting federal court rulings. A judge in New York ruled that the devices are illegal under federal law, while a judge in Texas found they do not meet the legal definition of a machine gun. The Trump administration subsequently reached a settlement agreement affecting pending litigation, including a provision that ATF would not pursue enforcement or appeals.
The coalition’s lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to halt the redistribution of the devices. The plaintiffs argue that allowing their circulation would endanger public safety and potentially violate state laws prohibiting such items. According to the lawsuit, even ATF has acknowledged that returning the devices in some jurisdictions could “aid and abet” violations of local law.
In addition to Washington, states participating in the lawsuit include New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
The Attorney General’s Office noted that its legal challenge is intended to preserve existing federal firearms regulations and prevent the reintroduction of what it describes as high-risk firearm components into public circulation. The case is pending in federal court.
The complaint against ATF is available here.