A forced reset trigger (or "hard reset" trigger) is a device that allows a person to fire a semi-automatic firearm at an increased rate. The forced reset trigger works by mechanically resetting the trigger's position after a shot is fired. This allows for an increased rate of fire. However, the shooter must still manually pull the trigger each time it resets for any subsequent shot to be fired.Forced reset triggers are installed through replacement of the firearm control group. The preinstalled trigger of a particular firearm is replaced by the forced reset trigger's assembly. Typically, only one shot is fired per single function of the trigger. However, in the U.S., the ATF considers some forced reset triggers to be machineguns under the National Firearms Act.[1] This determination by the ATF is being litigated by gun rights groups in the United States.[2]
On July 24th, 2024, district judge Reed O'Connor, from the Forth Worth division of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, issued a vacatur of the ATF's determination that some forced reset triggers are machineguns, finding that the determination was "arbitrary and capricious".[3]