Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced her participation in a coalition of 16 attorneys general suing the Trump Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The lawsuit aims to stop the distribution of machine gun conversion devices (MCD) across the United States.

The ATF's action involves Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs), which enable firearms to mimic military machine guns. Although previously classified as machine guns by the ATF, a settlement agreement under the Trump Administration leadership has halted enforcement against FRTs and plans to redistribute seized devices. The multistate litigation seeks to prevent this redistribution due to federal laws prohibiting possession of such devices.

"Machine guns do not belong in our communities," said Nessel. "Allowing Forced Reset Triggers into Michigan could be devastating, and I will continue fighting to protect the safety of our residents."

In recent years, MCDs like FRTs have been linked to violent crimes and mass shootings. The ATF reported a significant increase in incidents involving these devices, with machine-gun fire rising by 1,400% from 2019 through 2021.

Since 1975, the ATF has classified similar devices as federally prohibited machine guns. Despite this prohibition, an estimated 100,000 FRTs have been distributed nationwide. Multiple lawsuits during the Biden Administration sought clarity on FRT legality; however, rulings have varied.

On May 16, 2025, the Trump Administration settled these lawsuits by agreeing not to enforce federal bans on FRTs and pledged to redistribute previously seized devices. Today's lawsuit challenges this settlement as violating U.S. law prohibiting machine guns.

The coalition will seek a preliminary injunction against distributing FRTs in violation of federal law. The lawsuit argues that redistributing MCDs threatens public safety nationwide and contravenes state laws where they are banned.

Attorney General Nessel joins attorneys general from Colorado, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia in this legal action.