State Legality MatrixBinary TriggersNew Jersey
Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-31
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
Contested entry
The release-fired round means a binary trigger fires a shot without a trigger press, bringing it within New Jersey's broad machine-gun definition. New Jersey does not defer to federal classifications.
The statute in practice
New Jersey defines a machine gun to include a firearm, mechanism, or instrument that does not require the trigger to be pressed for each shot. Because a binary system's second shot occurs on release, the state's pressed-for-each-shot wording differs materially from the federal single-function formulation; possession and licensing provisions appear in sections 2C:39-5 and 2C:58-5.
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.
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.
The controlling law is N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-1. Falls within the machine-gun definition covering mechanisms not requiring that the trigger be pressed for each shot.
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.