Attorney General Bonta: Forced Reset Triggers Remain Illegal Under California Law

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a new law enforcement bulletin affirming that “forced reset triggers” (FRTs) remain illegal under California law. At a minimum, FRTs are “multiburst trigger activators” under California Penal Code section 16930, and California Penal Code section 32900 prohibits the possession, sale, offering for sale, manufacture, importation, giving, or lending of such devices. On May 13, 2025, the United States Department of Justice executed a settlement agreement with several plaintiffs to address ongoing federal litigation that contested the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) classification of FRTs as machine guns under the National Firearms Act of 1934. This settlement provides that the U.S. DOJ will stop regulating FRTs as machine guns under federal law and allow individual owners to request the return of FRTs that were seized by or voluntarily surrendered to the ATF, consistent with instructions to be provided by ATF. However, the U.S. DOJ’s settlement does not alter the fact that FRTs remain illegal under California law. 
 
“No matter who oversees the federal government, California will remain the steadfast beacon of progress on gun safety that it has long been,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It is a devastating fact that in our nation, children and teens are more likely to die by gun violence than any illness or accident. California’s commonsense gun-safety laws save lives, and the prohibition of forced reset triggers is no exception. As firearms become faster, more powerful, and more deadly, the threat of these weapons being used for gun violence only increases. My office will continue to promote and defend gun-safety laws and fight to keep our communities safe.”
 
An FRT is a device used in semiautomatic firearms that forcibly resets the trigger through operation of the firing cycle, enabling a quicker reset than a conventional spring-based trigger. A firearm that features an FRT allows the user to shoot at a higher rate compared to a standard trigger. The California Department of Justice has concluded that an FRT, at the very least, fits the definition of a multiburst trigger activator as outlined in Penal Code section 16930. As a result, an FRT cannot be owned, sold, offered for sale, manufactured, imported, given away, or lent in California according to Penal Code section 32900. Despite the U.S. DOJ’s settlement, California residents who possessed FRTs that have been voluntarily surrendered to or confiscated by the ATF should refrain from requesting their return under the terms of the settlement, and California dealers should not offer FRTs for sale.
 
Should you have any questions, please contact the Bureau of Firearms, Customer Support Center at (916) 210-2300 or via email at Firearms.Bureau@doj.ca.gov. 
 
A copy of the bulletin can be found here.