State Legality Matrix / Binary Triggers / Hawaii

Are Binary Triggers Legal in Hawaii?

Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-10

Banned

No. Expressly prohibits a device that fires multiple shots with the pull and release of the trigger.

Controlling law: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8.5

Litigation Status and Details

The multiburst trigger activator prohibition reaches a device that fires multiple shots with the pull and release of the trigger, which describes a binary trigger directly.

Federal baseline

Binary triggers are legal under federal law and are not machine guns under 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b); ATF treats the trigger pull and the trigger release as two separate functions of the trigger, so one round is fired per function. Cargill v. Garland (2024) concerned bump stocks, not binary triggers, and does not change this.

Scope: Binary triggers (Franklin Armory BFSIII and similar): fire one round on trigger pull and one on release. Forced reset triggers are a separate class.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are binary triggers legal in Hawaii?

No. Expressly prohibits a device that fires multiple shots with the pull and release of the trigger. Controlling law: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8.5.

What law covers binary triggers in Hawaii?

The controlling law is Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8.5. Expressly prohibits a device that fires multiple shots with the pull and release of the trigger.

Are binary triggers legal under federal law?

Binary triggers are legal under federal law and are not machine guns under 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b); ATF treats the trigger pull and the trigger release as two separate functions of the trigger, so one round is fired per function. Cargill v. Garland (2024) concerned bump stocks, not binary triggers, and does not change this.

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