State Legality MatrixForced Reset TriggersDistrict of Columbia
Statute-cited, not legal advice, last verified 2026-10-20
Banned
No. Reached by the District's broad machine-gun definition, which includes conversion parts.
Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(10) (definition); § 22-4514
Contested entry
The machine-gun definition includes any combination of parts designed for converting a firearm into a machine gun; possession of machine guns and such parts is prohibited under § 22-4514. The District was a plaintiff in the 2025 multistate suit against the federal FRT settlement, and Rare Breed's published no-ship list includes Washington, D.C.
The statute in practice
District of Columbia Code section 7-2501.01 defines a machine gun by automatic fire of more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The definition also includes a machine-gun frame or receiver, parts designed and intended solely and exclusively for conversion, and combinations of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled under the possessor's control.
Section 22-4514(a) separately prohibits possessing any item that is in fact a machine gun or bump stock, with exceptions for military, law-enforcement, and certain licensed users.
What it means for you
The District regulates covered parts as well as completed weapons. The District was a plaintiff in the 2025 multistate suit against the federal FRT settlement, and Rare Breed Triggers lists Washington, D.C. as a no-ship jurisdiction.
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.
Federal baseline verified 2026-10-20. 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
No. Reached by the District's broad machine-gun definition, which includes conversion parts. Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(10) (definition); § 22-4514.
The controlling law is D.C. Code § 7-2501.01(10) (definition); § 22-4514. Reached by the District's broad machine-gun definition, which includes conversion parts.