Forced reset triggers are legal to own, buy, and sell in Texas. A federal court in the Northern District of Texas struck down the ATF’s machine gun classification of these devices in 2024, and the Department of Justice locked in that outcome with a settlement in May 2025. Texas state law tracks the federal definition of a machine gun, so once the federal classification fell, the state-level barrier went with it. If you own an FRT or are thinking about buying one, the harder questions are who can legally possess it, how it can change hands, and what happens when you leave Texas.
Why Texas Law Doesn’t Treat an FRT as a Machine Gun
Texas defines a machine gun as any firearm capable of shooting more than two shots automatically, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.1State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 46.01 – Definitions A forced reset trigger uses energy from the bolt carrier group to push the trigger forward into reset after each shot, but the shooter still has to press the trigger again for every round. Each shot is a separate function. That places FRTs outside the state’s machine gun definition.
Possessing an unregistered machine gun in Texas is a prohibited weapons offense under Section 46.05.2State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 46.05 – Prohibited Weapons It’s a third-degree felony carrying two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.3State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 12.34 – Third Degree Felony Punishment Because FRTs don’t meet the definition, those penalties don’t reach them. They’re treated as standard semi-automatic firearm components.
The Federal Rulings That Cleared the Path
Federal law defines a machine gun using the same “single function of the trigger” language.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 5845 – Definitions In June 2024, the Supreme Court decided Garland v. Cargill, holding that a bump stock does not turn a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun because each shot still requires a separate trigger function.5Supreme Court of the United States. Garland v. Cargill Weeks later, Judge Reed O’Connor applied that reasoning directly to FRTs in National Association for Gun Rights v. Garland and vacated the ATF’s classification.6United States Department of Justice. Department of Justice Announces Settlement of Litigation Between the Federal Government and Rare Breed Triggers
On May 16, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a settlement with Rare Breed Triggers that resolved the NAGR appeal in the Fifth Circuit along with related cases in the Second Circuit and the District of Utah. The federal government agreed not to bring enforcement actions under the Gun Control Act or National Firearms Act against qualifying FRTs. To fall within the settlement’s protection, the trigger’s hammer must release from its sear surface for every round fired, the trigger must reset after every round, and the device cannot be designed for handguns where the magazine loads into the grip.7Congressional Research Service. Forced-Reset Triggers: Recent Executive Action and Issues for Congress
Two limits are worth knowing. The settlement does not shield FRT manufacturers whose products fall outside those technical criteria, and it does not bind state regulators enforcing their own laws.7Congressional Research Service. Forced-Reset Triggers: Recent Executive Action and Issues for Congress
Who Can’t Legally Own an FRT in Texas
The device is legal. The person holding it still has to be legally allowed to possess firearms. Texas prohibits firearm possession by convicted felons for at least five years after release from confinement or supervision, and even after that period, possession is restricted to the person’s own home.8State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 46.04 – Unlawful Possession of Firearm
People convicted of Class A misdemeanor assault involving a family or household member are barred from firearm possession for five years after their release from confinement or community supervision, whichever is later. Anyone subject to an active protective order under the Family Code or Code of Criminal Procedure is prohibited from having a firearm while that order is in effect.8State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 46.04 – Unlawful Possession of Firearm Federal prohibited-person categories apply on top of that: anyone convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction, anyone under indictment, and unlawful users of controlled substances, among others.
Buying and Transferring an FRT
A forced reset trigger is a firearm component, not a firearm. Federal law does not require a background check for a standalone trigger purchase, because the National Instant Criminal Background Check System runs on firearm sales, not accessories.9Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS) Buy a complete rifle with an FRT already installed and the normal background check applies, just as with any other firearm purchase.
Texas permits private sales of firearm accessories without a licensed dealer. Person-to-person transfers of trigger components are legal, but both parties still have to be eligible to possess firearms. Retailers stocking FRTs run their own compliance checks on buyers. Online orders for the component itself typically ship directly to the buyer rather than through an FFL, because the part isn’t classified as a firearm.
Traveling Out of State With an FRT
This is where Texas owners get into trouble. A trigger that’s fully legal in Texas can become a serious criminal problem the moment you cross into a state that bans rate-of-fire-enhancing devices. Roughly fifteen states have laws on the books restricting such devices, and many are written broadly enough to sweep in FRTs without naming them. California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington are among them.
The 2025 DOJ settlement said plainly that it does not prevent state regulators from enforcing their own laws.7Congressional Research Service. Forced-Reset Triggers: Recent Executive Action and Issues for Congress Texas allows its residents to buy firearms, ammunition, and accessories out of state as long as the purchase itself is lawful where it happens, so the risk is not usually about bringing something in. It’s about bringing an FRT-equipped rifle out. Check every state on your route before you cross a border with one.
What Could Still Change
The current legal footing for FRTs rests on a court ruling, a settlement, and one administration’s enforcement priorities. Any of those can move. A future administration could revisit enforcement or attempt new rulemaking. Congress could pass legislation explicitly classifying rate-of-fire-enhancing devices as machine guns, which would override both the court decision and the settlement. Bills along those lines have been introduced in recent sessions without passing.
The settlement itself binds the current administration’s enforcement posture toward Rare Breed’s specific products. FRTs from other manufacturers could face enforcement if their designs fall outside the technical criteria in the agreement.7Congressional Research Service. Forced-Reset Triggers: Recent Executive Action and Issues for Congress Cargill addressed bump stocks; the lower-court rulings applying it to FRTs are persuasive but have not been tested at the Supreme Court. Treat the current status as favorable and workable, not permanently settled.