Trigger Wars Unleashed: Lawrence DeMonico, Rare Breed Triggers, and the FRT Legal Battle With the Federal Government
- Rick Hogg
- 23 hours ago
- 7 min read
If you’ve ever built anything worth owning, anything that actually changes the game, you already know how this ends: somebody comes for it.
And sometimes, it’s the federal government.
At CANCON Range, with the noise, the energy, and the Recoil Magazine atmosphere all around us, On The Range Podcast brought you a conversation that cuts deeper than trigger mechanics. We sat down with Lawrence DeMonico, President of Rare Breed Triggers, and talked about what happens when innovation collides with lawsuits, both private and federal.
This article is built for the OnTheRangePodcast.com and warhogg.com audience: the builders, the shooters, the industry folks, and the everyday Americans who want the real story, without the fluff.
Note: This is not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction, and state laws may differ even when federal policy shifts.
The Episode That Started This Conversation at CANCON Range
Why this interview hit different
The episode “Trigger Wars Unleashed: Lawrence of Rare Breed Triggers on Patent Battles and FRT Innovation at CANCON Range” wasn’t recorded in a studio with soft lighting and safe opinions. It was recorded live at CANCON, with Lawrence walking us through the realities of engineering a disruptive product and navigating legal conflict, including fierce court battles over patented technology.
Who was at the table
On that episode, hosts Mark Kelley (Kelley Defense) and Rick Hogg (War HOGG Tactical) interviewed Lawrence as the President of Rare Breed Triggers, focusing on innovation, patents, and the fights that came with the FRT-15.
Who Is Lawrence DeMonico in the Rare Breed Triggers Story
President, named defendant, and a face the government pointed at
When a federal case is filed, it’s no longer rumor or internet commentary, names get inked into litigation. In the federal civil action filed in the Eastern District of New York, Lawrence DeMonico is listed as a defendant alongside Rare Breed entities.
That matters because it frames what Lawrence was describing at CANCON: this wasn’t “a controversy.” This was a real-world legal and operational war where leadership doesn’t get to hide behind a logo.
What Is an FRT and Why It Became a National Flashpoint
Forced reset triggers and the legal definition fight
Forced reset triggers (FRTs) became controversial because the legal battlefield isn’t built around vibes—it’s built around statutory definitions of what counts as a “machinegun.”
That statutory argument got supercharged after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Garland v. Cargill (2024), where the Court held ATF exceeded its authority in classifying bump stocks as “machineguns” under federal law, turning attention back to the meaning of “single function of the trigger” and “automatically.”
The key reality: speed isn’t the same as “machinegun” under the statute
Here’s the part a lot of people miss: faster fire and illegal conversion aren’t automatically the same thing in the eyes of federal statute. That’s exactly the legal line courts were asked to evaluate, first with bump stocks, then with forced reset triggers.
The Federal Pressure Campaign: The Rare Breed Legal Battle With the Government
The government’s position and the New York case
The federal government brought litigation against Rare Breed in New York, and reporting at the time described a preliminary ruling/injunction that restricted sales while the fraud case proceeded.
Whether you agree with the government or not, that’s a business-ending posture: when you’re tied up in federal court, you’re burning time, cash, and attention every single day.
The Texas front: NAGR v. Garland and the post-Cargill shift
In National Association for Gun Rights v. Garland, a federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration’s forced reset trigger ban, citing the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Cargill. Reuters reported the decision as a direct rejection of ATF’s classification approach.
Lawrence’s Point at CANCON: In the Fight for His Freedom, Only Two Organizations Backed Him
What Lawrence emphasized on the mic
This is the part you told me to get right, and I’m going to.
During the CANCON conversation, Lawrence made a point that hits like a punch to the chest: in the legal battle, only two organizations truly backed him in the fight.
The National Association for Gun Rights is the ONLY national level organization that has supported Rare Breed in this fight. Texas Gun Rights is the ONLY state level organization that has supported Rare Breed in this fight.
He wasn’t saying “a lot of people cheered online.” He was talking about who stepped into the real fight, when it was expensive, messy, and politically radioactive.
Why that matters beyond Rare Breed
Because when a federal agency targets a product category, the blast radius isn’t just one company. It can hit:
distributors and dealers
manufacturers and designers
customers and end users
ranges hosting events and demos
content creators and educators
So when Lawrence says only two organizations backed him, that’s not gossip. It’s a lesson about how lonely a rights fight can get when it turns into real litigation.
What the Government “Granted” and What It Did Not
The agreement wasn’t a blank check - scope matters
A lot of folks heard “settlement” and assumed the government waved a magic wand and made the whole world legal.
That’s not what the published federal guidance says.
ATF’s own return page frames the return and non-enforcement terms around specific property—Rare Breed Triggers’ FRT-15s and Wide Open Triggers (WOTs), and uses the term “eligible FRTs” (including limits such as not being evidence in criminal investigations/prosecutions or subject to forfeiture).
The settlement and the return process
ATF states that, pursuant to a Settlement Agreement involving Rare Breed entities and the National Association for Gun Rights and Texas Gun Rights (plus named individuals), the United States agreed to return eligible devices and agreed not to enforce certain federal prohibitions against people possessing/transferring eligible FRTs.
It explicitly does not cover other conversion devices
ATF also explicitly says the settlement only covers eligible FRTs and does not cover machine gun conversion devices like switches, drop-in auto sears, lightning links, etc.
State law can still jam you up
ATF’s guidance also warns that some states independently prohibit forced reset triggers or trigger activating devices—and that prohibited persons cannot receive returns.
And here’s a time-stamp reality check for our readers today: the ATF page stated return requests had to be made by September 30, 2025. As of March 1, 2026, that date has passed, so anyone dealing with this now needs to consult counsel and/or contact ATF directly for current options.
The DOJ Settlement: Why It Happened and What It Required
DOJ’s public explanation
The Department of Justice announced a settlement on May 16, 2025, saying it avoided continued appeals and related litigation. DOJ also listed the cases addressed by the settlement, including NAGR v. Garland and United States v. Rare Breed Triggers (E.D.N.Y.).
Conditions tied to “public safety” and product direction
DOJ’s announcement stated the settlement included conditions, including that Rare Breed would not develop or design FRTs for use in any pistol and would enforce its patents to prevent infringement that could threaten public safety, plus promotion of safe and responsible use.
Patent Battles: The Second War Running at the Same Time
Innovation attracts copycats
While the public watches the government fight, innovators often fight a parallel war: intellectual property.
Rare Breed’s published patent notice lists multiple product lines and associated patents, and describes exclusive licensing and enforcement rights tied to the patented technology.
What Lawrence described at CANCON
In the episode description itself, Lawrence is framed as discussing “fierce court battles against rival companies over patented force reset trigger technology” alongside engineering challenges and innovation hurdles.
That’s the real-world builder’s problem: you’re defending your work from every direction at once.
The Industry Aftershock: Lawsuits Didn’t Stop - They Shifted
States sued over the settlement
After the settlement, multiple states filed suit challenging the federal decision to permit sales/returns of forced-reset triggers, arguing public safety concerns and legal problems with the agreement.
Whether you agree with those states or not, it proves a simple point: this issue is still politically and legally active, and the landscape can change again.
What This Means for the Firearms Community
For builders and manufacturers
If you’re building in this space, don’t confuse “innovation” with “immunity.” You need:
legal counsel who understands firearms law
documentation discipline
IP strategy (patents and enforcement)
crisis planning for regulatory pressure
The DOJ settlement itself highlighted patent enforcement and future product constraints, meaning the government sees IP and product direction as leverage points.
For everyday gun owners
Don’t outsource your decision-making to comment sections.
The federal guidance on returns came with hard constraints: eligible items, return procedures, restrictions for prohibited persons, and the reality that state law may still prohibit possession.
For 2A orgs and supporters
Lawrence’s CANCON point, two organizations backed him, should land like a warning flare. Rights fights don’t fund themselves, and they don’t win on memes.
Listen to the Episode: Trigger Wars Unleashed at CANCON Range
If you want the tone, the detail, and the in-the-moment context, listen to “Trigger Wars Unleashed: Lawrence of Rare Breed Triggers on Patent Battles and FRT Innovation at CANCON Range” on On The Range Podcast.
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Rick Hogg is the owner and primary instructor of War HOGG Tactical, Inc., a North Carolina–based training company that travels nationwide delivering firearms and tactical instruction. A 29-year U.S. Army Special Operations combat veteran, SOF K9 handler, and former Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course (SFAUC) instructor, Rick applies decades of operational and instructional experience to a building-block training methodology focused on mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship and producing repeatable shooting performance on demand under stress.
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