BALTIMORE — Back in June we reported on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown's lawsuit against the ATF, seeking to prevent the return of firearms parts seized under prior presidential administrations.
The case specifically focuses on Forced Reset Triggers (FRTs) which have the ability to convert regular firearms into machine guns.
Under the Biden administration FRTs were federally prohibited.
This triggered multiple lawsuits, including one in Texas, where a judge appointed by former President George W. Bush ruled FRTs don't qualify as machine guns under federal law.
A second judge in New York appointed by Biden, however, ruled federal law does ban FRTs.
Upon retaking office, the Trump led ATF settled the Texas suit, agreeing to no longer enforce the laws.
As part of the agreement, the feds vowed to return some forfeited FRTs.
This upset Brown and his fellow Democratic State Attorneys General who claimed the move would fuel more gun violence.
To satisfy them, the feds say they won't redistribute any FRTs into Maryland or any other state that joined Brown.
Rare Breed Triggers, a well known FRT dealer, also agreed to not sell to any of the states, including Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington D.C.
RELATED: Maryland leads lawsuit seeking to stop ATF from returning seized machine gun parts
Brown insists the ATF's decision will protect Maryland families from more gun violence.
“When our Office filed this lawsuit, we warned that thousands of forced reset triggers would flood our streets and leave Marylanders vulnerable to more senseless gun violence," said Brown. "Our case led the federal government to block their redistribution into Maryland and other states where they’re banned."
It's the latest gun control tactic recently enacted by the State of Maryland.
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court allowed state bans on assault weapons and semiautomatic rifles to remain intact.
In January the justices also refused to strike down Maryland's Handgun Qualification License (HQL) requirements for gun owners.
Last year, however, the high court ruled adding bump stocks to semiautomatic firearms does not amount to a machine gun.
