Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced his participation in a coalition of 16 attorneys general suing the Trump administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The lawsuit challenges the ATF’s plan to distribute thousands of machinegun conversion devices (MCDs) across the United States.
The ATF intends to redistribute Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs), which can transform ordinary firearms into ones with firepower comparable to military machineguns. Despite previously classifying FRTs as machineguns, the ATF has signed a settlement agreement under Trump administration directives that halts enforcement against FRTs and plans to redistribute seized units. This action is contested by the coalition as it violates federal law prohibiting possession of such devices.
“If the ATF distributes these devices across the country, not only will the agency run afoul of federal law, it will also put Americans at risk of further gun violence across the country,” said AG Ford. “These devices, which allow normal guns to fire at a rate that exceeds many military-grade automatic weapons, have no legitimate use in our society.”
Machinegun conversion devices like FRTs have been increasingly used in violent crimes and mass shootings in recent years. These firearms can exceed many military machine guns’ rate of fire, capable of firing up to 20 bullets per second. The ATF reports a significant rise in MCD usage from 2019 through 2021.
Since 1975, similar devices have been classified as prohibited machineguns by federal law. However, an estimated 100,000 FRTs have been distributed nationwide despite this prohibition. Legal disputes over their classification were ongoing during the Biden administration.
On May 16, 2025, a settlement was reached under the Trump administration that undermines this prohibition. The ATF agreed to cease enforcement actions and appeals related to FRTs and promised redistribution efforts.
The lawsuit aims to stop this redistribution due to its violation of U.S. law banning machineguns or conversion devices for automatic weapons. The coalition seeks a preliminary injunction against distributing FRTs contrary to federal law.
The attorneys general argue that redistributing these devices threatens public safety nationwide and contravenes state laws where they are prohibited.
Joining AG Ford are attorneys general from Delaware, District of Columbia, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
