State Legality MatrixBinary TriggersNew Jersey
Statute-cited, not legal advice, last verified 2026-10-20
Banned
No. Falls within the machine-gun definition covering mechanisms not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot.
Controlling law: N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-1(i)
Contested entry
Section 2C:39-1(i) defines a machine gun as any firearm, mechanism, or instrument not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot and having a means of storing and carrying ammunition. The release-fired round means a binary trigger fires a shot without a trigger press, bringing it within that definition. S2097 (2026-2027 session), which would set specific criminal penalties for selling and possessing binary triggers, was introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 13, 2026.
The statute in practice
New Jersey section 2C:39-1(i) defines a machine gun as any firearm, mechanism, or instrument not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot and having a reservoir, belt, or other means of storing and carrying ammunition, and includes any firearm with a trigger crank attached. Because a binary system's second shot fires on release, the state's pressed-for-each-shot wording differs materially from the federal single-function test.
In the legislature
Would establish criminal penalties for the sale and possession of binary firearm triggers.
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.
Federal baseline verified 2026-10-20. 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.
Common questions
No. Falls within the machine-gun definition covering mechanisms not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot. Controlling law: N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-1(i).
The controlling law is N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-1(i). Falls within the machine-gun definition covering mechanisms not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot.