State Legality MatrixForced Reset TriggersNew York

Are Forced Reset Triggers Legal in New York?

Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-28 · State detail verified 2026-07-31

Status
Banned
Verified
2026-07-28

Banned

No. Prohibited as a rapid-fire modification device.

Controlling law: N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(23) (definition) & § 265.01-c

Contested entry

Litigation Status and Details

The rapid-fire modification device definition covers devices designed to accelerate rate of fire and expressly reaches forced reset triggers; criminal possession is a class A misdemeanor.

The statute in practice

New York Law in Detail

New York Penal Law section 265.00 defines a rapid-fire modification device as a device designed to accelerate a semiautomatic firearm's rate of fire, including a device that uses recoil energy to create repeated trigger activation. The definition expressly includes a forced reset trigger.

Section 265.01-c supplies the related possession offense. New York's product-specific language removes the need to rely only on the conventional machine-gun definition.

What it means for you

Practical Notes

The statute addresses the device itself, not merely a completed firearm. Product disassembly or a seller's choice of terminology does not answer whether the part meets section 265.00's definition.

Sources

Federal law

Federal baseline

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Are forced reset triggers legal in New York?

No. Prohibited as a rapid-fire modification device. Controlling law: N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(23) (definition) & § 265.01-c.

What law covers forced reset triggers in New York?

The controlling law is N.Y. Penal Law § 265.00(23) (definition) & § 265.01-c. Prohibited as a rapid-fire modification device.

Are forced reset triggers legal under 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.

What New York Residents Can Still Buy

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