State Legality Matrix / Binary Triggers / Iowa

Are Binary Triggers Legal in Iowa?

Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-10

Legal

Yes. No Iowa statute reaches binary triggers; the machine-gun definition uses single function of the trigger and there is no rate-of-fire statute.

Litigation Status and Details

Iowa Code § 724.1 defines a machine gun as firing more than one shot by a single function of the trigger; a binary fires one round per function.

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 Iowa?

Yes. No Iowa statute reaches binary triggers; the machine-gun definition uses single function of the trigger and there is no rate-of-fire statute.

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.

Binary Triggers Worth Buying

In a green state, these are the binaries that matter. Franklin Armory's BFSIII line covers AR, Scorpion, Stribog, and B&T hosts, and the Fostech Echo AR-II is the drop-in AR alternative.

Franklin Armory BFSIII AR-Essential Binary Trigger product image
Triggers & Fire Control • $299.99

Franklin Armory BFSIII AR-Essential Binary Trigger

Affordable AR-pattern binary trigger that fires one round on pull and one on release, with a mil-spec style single-sided safety selector aimed at AR traditionalists.

  • 3-position selector (safe / semi / binary)
  • Fires one round on pull, one on release in binary mode
  • Curved black trigger shoe
  • Strong close quarters performance
$204.99$299.99Save 32%
Verified Retailer
View at OpticsPlanet
View Full Details
Franklin Armory BFSIII SP-S1 Stribog Binary Trigger product image
Triggers & Fire Control • $449.99

Franklin Armory BFSIII SP-S1 Stribog Binary Trigger

Binary firing system for Grand Power Stribog: one round on pull, one on release with a three-position safe/semi/binary selector.

  • 3-position selector (safe / semi / binary)
  • Fires one round on pull, one on release in binary mode
  • Curved trigger shoe (SP-S1)
  • Strong close quarters performance
$449.99
Verified Retailer
View at OpticsPlanet
View Full Details
Franklin Armory BFSIII B&T-C1 Binary Trigger product image
Triggers & Fire Control • $449.99

Franklin Armory BFSIII B&T-C1 Binary Trigger

Binary firing system for the B&T APC9: one round on pull, one on release, with a three-position safe/semi/binary selector.

  • 3-position selector (safe / semi / binary)
  • Fires one round on pull, one on release in binary mode
  • Curved trigger shoe
  • Strong close quarters performance
$449.99 MSRP
Verified Retailer
View at OpticsPlanet
View Full Details
G-S173 Binary Trigger + Slide product image
Pistol Triggers • $729.99

G-S173 Binary Trigger + Slide

Trigger-and-slide binary firing system for Glock 17 Gen 3. Selectable semi and binary modes. Ships with tritium sights and optics-ready slide; barrel and recoil system sold separately.

  • Glock 17 Gen 3 only
  • Selectable semi-auto and Binary firing modes
  • Trigger + complete slide (barrel and recoil system not included)
$745.99
Verified Retailer
View at OpticsPlanet
View Full Details

Affiliate links (?)

Full picks and fitment notes: Best Binary Triggers 2026

Related coverage

Full 50-State Map

See the full 50-state Binary Triggers map

More Iowa Gun Laws

Binary Triggers Laws by State