Per the news release: “Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that he and over a dozen other states are joining together to defend two major actions by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) that protect the ban on Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs) and expanded criminal background checks for gun purchases.
“Gun violence impacts all Marylanders, regardless of where in the State they live,” said Attorney General Brown. “Strong federal background checks and bans on rapid-fire devices are important tools for keeping communities safe and preventing mass shootings.”
Forced Reset Triggers (Machinegun Converters)
The first action joined by Attorney General Brown defends ATF’s decision to prohibit Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs) nationwide. FRTs, a type of machinegun conversion device (MCD), allow owners to illegally convert their firearms into fully automatic weapons with the firepower of a military machinegun. MCDs and FRTs have been frequently used in violent crimes and mass shootings, worsening the gun violence epidemic in the United States.
Since at least 1975, ATF has classified devices that operate similarly to FRTs as “machineguns” prohibited by federal law. In 2024, a federal judge in Texas held that FRTs do not qualify as machineguns and issued a court order prohibiting ATF from taking criminal or civil enforcement actions regarding FRTs against certain entities. The court ordered ATF to return FRTs to distributors by February 22, 2025. The United States appealed that decision, and the parties are awaiting a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Today’s filing by Maryland and 15 other states will act to protect communities from military-style machineguns in the event that the federal government stops defending this policy, which would allow FRTs to spread across the country and threaten public safety nationwide. As the states’ motion explains, any decision that FRTs are legal under federal law increases the risk of mass casualty events.
In addition to Maryland, other jurisdictions joining today’s filing include New Jersey, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
“Engaged in the Business” Final Rule (Background Checks)
The second action defends ATF’s “engaged in the business” rule, which implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s expansion of the category of gun dealers who must have a firearms license. This requires them to enforce criminal background checks for their purchasers and to keep records of their sales to help law enforcement solve crimes.
ATF estimates that anywhere from 25,563 to 95,505 previously unlicensed individuals would now be required to obtain federal licenses, meaning they would need to perform background checks prior to selling weapons and comply with record-retention requirements.
Without these licensing requirements, felons and other persons prohibited from purchasing weapons will have more avenues open to illegally purchase a firearm. Maryland and 14 states are intervening to protect this critical rule and keep our communities safe from gun violence.
Maryland requires its own background checks for gun purchases within the state, but federal policies are important in ensuring guns cannot be purchased in other states without a background check and then trafficked into Maryland.
In addition to Maryland, other jurisdictions joining today’s filing include New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.”