Orlando-based company suing the ATF in a debate over an AR-15 attachment

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando-based company that manufactures an attachment allowing an AR-15 to fire even faster is refusing to comply with an order from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Instead, Rare Breed Triggers has filed a lawsuit against the ATF after being told to stop making the trigger or face fines and jail time.

The government agency believes the attachment can convert the semi-automatic weapon into a “machinegun.”

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Rare Breed Trigger President Lawrence DeMonico demonstrates the FRT-15 trigger in marketing videos on his company’s website.

He said that although it does allow a user to fire more quickly, it does not make the gun fully automatic.

“The trigger is being depressed with each round that’s being fired,” DeMonico said. “It’s not how fast the gun shoots, it’s how the gun shoots fast.”

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That’s the crux of his lawsuit against the ATF, filed in response to a cease and desist order that the ATF sent the small business a few weeks back.

The letter states that the ATF concluded that the model is “intended for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun,” stating the device “allows a firearm to expel more than one shot without a manual reloading, with a single, continuous pull to the trigger.”

“Our trigger doesn’t operate like that at all; it will only fire one round per that single function of the trigger,” DeMonico said. “In fact, FRT stands for forced reset trigger.”

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In the federal lawsuit, the company’s attorney said “the only thing the FRT-15 does is enable a shooter to accomplish a faster follow-up shot because of the speed at which the trigger resets.”

The ATF threatened to fine the company up to $10,000 “per violation” or per unit sold as well as prison time.

The ATF said it does not comment on pending litigation.

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