State Legality MatrixForced Reset TriggersConnecticut
Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-28 · State detail verified 2026-07-31
Restricted
Restricted. Current FRT coverage is legally ambiguous; an express prohibition takes effect October 1, 2026. Effective 2026-10-01.
Controlling law: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-206g; Conn. P.A. 26-41, § 2 (effective Oct. 1, 2026)
Contested entry
The current § 53-206g definition names recoil-driven reciprocating devices, trigger cranks, and binary triggers but not forced-reset triggers. P.A. 26-41 expressly adds devices that repeatedly pull or forcibly reset a trigger, including FRTs, effective October 1, 2026. Treat possession and acquisition as legally risky during the transition rather than claiming the 2018 text already supplies an express FRT ban.
The statute in practice
Connecticut General Statutes section 53-206g currently defines a rate-of-fire enhancement through three specified mechanisms: recoil-driven reciprocating trigger contact, a crank that repeatedly activates the trigger, or a binary trigger that fires once on pull and once on release.
The current text does not expressly name forced-reset triggers. Public Act 26-41, signed May 26, 2026, adds devices that repeatedly pull or forcibly reset the trigger, including forced-reset triggers, effective October 1, 2026.
Timeline
What it means for you
As of July 31, 2026, apply the current section 53-206g text and separately account for the enacted amendment that becomes effective October 1, 2026. The offense covers transport, transfer, sale, purchase, possession, and use, subject to narrow exceptions.
Federal law
Under the 2025 DOJ settlement with Rare Breed Triggers, an FRT fires one round per trigger function and is not an NFA machine gun federally. The settlement covers rifles and grip-forward pistols; it does not extend to grip-fed handguns (Glock, S&W M&P, Canik), whose federal FRT status remains less settled. State bans operate independently of federal law through broader state machine-gun, trigger-activator, or rate-of-fire definitions.
Scope: Forced reset triggers (Rare Breed FRT-15, Dairyland Defender, and similar) and forced-reset selectors (AR Super Safety, ARC-Fire). One round per trigger function. Binary triggers are a separate class.
Common questions
Restricted. Current FRT coverage is legally ambiguous; an express prohibition takes effect October 1, 2026. Effective 2026-10-01. Controlling law: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-206g; Conn. P.A. 26-41, § 2 (effective Oct. 1, 2026).
The controlling law is Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-206g; Conn. P.A. 26-41, § 2 (effective Oct. 1, 2026). Current FRT coverage is legally ambiguous; an express prohibition takes effect October 1, 2026.
Connecticut's rule took effect 2026-10-01. The current § 53-206g definition names recoil-driven reciprocating devices, trigger cranks, and binary triggers but not forced-reset triggers. P.A. 26-41 expressly adds devices that repeatedly pull or forcibly reset a trigger, including FRTs, effective October 1, 2026. Treat possession and acquisition as legally risky during the transition rather than claiming the 2018 text already supplies an express FRT ban.
Under the 2025 DOJ settlement with Rare Breed Triggers, an FRT fires one round per trigger function and is not an NFA machine gun federally. The settlement covers rifles and grip-forward pistols; it does not extend to grip-fed handguns (Glock, S&W M&P, Canik), whose federal FRT status remains less settled. State bans operate independently of federal law through broader state machine-gun, trigger-activator, or rate-of-fire definitions.
Not in the text currently in force as of July 31, 2026. Public Act 26-41 expressly adds forced-reset triggers to section 53-206g beginning October 1, 2026.