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State Legality Matrix Binary TriggersVirginia

Are Binary Triggers Legal in Virginia?

Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-31

Status: Legal
Verified: 2026-07-31

Legal

Yes. Virginia's trigger-activator ban targets recoil-harnessing single-pull devices, not binary triggers.

Contested entry

Litigation Status and Details

Va. Code § 18.2-308.5:1 defines trigger activator as a device allowing more than one shot with a single pull by harnessing recoil energy (a bump-stock mechanic); a binary trigger requires a deliberate release for the second shot and is not covered. The statute was amended in 2024 to add auto sears and still does not name binary triggers. Pending forced-reset bills could change the landscape.

The statute in practice

Virginia Law in Detail

Virginia Code section 18.2-308.5:1 defines a trigger activator through more than one shot from a single pull by harnessing recoil energy, and later amendments added specified conversion devices. A binary system's release-fired second shot presents a different mechanism from the statute's single-pull recoil formulation.

Sources

Federal law

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.

Federal baseline verified 2026-07-31. 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

Frequently Asked Questions