The victory came in the form of a federal settlement agreement in NAGR v. Bondi, a high-stakes lawsuit filed in 2023 after the Biden ATF unilaterally reclassified certain FRTs as “machineguns,” criminalizing possession and transfer by law-abiding citizens.
TXGR, under the leadership of President Chris McNutt, joined the case to protect its members from federal overreach, ensuring Texans could continue exercising their Second Amendment rights without fear of jail time for owning a lawfully purchased trigger device.
“This is what happens when you don’t back down,” McNutt said. “This settlement protects Texas Gun Rights members and sends a message to the Biden-ATF: you don’t get to rewrite federal law just because you don’t like gun owners.”
From Lawsuit to Landmark Win
The legal journey began when NAGR — joined by TXGR and supported by trigger designer Rare Breed Triggers — sued the federal government in the Northern District of Texas (Case No. 23-cv-830-O).
Their goal: to halt the ATF’s FRT crackdown and secure constitutional protections for the millions of gun owners affected by the bureaucratic ban.
In late 2023, the plaintiffs won a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the ban against members of NAGR and TXGR. That injunction was later extended in 2024, dealing a severe blow to the ATF’s credibility.
While summary judgment was never reached, the case put heavy legal pressure on the Biden administration — and with the arrival of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14,206 in February 2025, the DOJ’s resolve began to crumble.
That order created a Second Amendment Task Force, which ultimately concluded that continued litigation against lawful FRT ownership “was not in the public interest.”
Settlement Terms: What the Agreement Does
Under the settlement agreement, signed May 13, 2025, the DOJ and ATF have agreed to:
- Cease enforcement of federal machinegun laws (18 U.S.C. § 922(o), NFA, GCA) against FRTs that meet specific technical criteria and are not installed in handguns.
- Return lawfully possessed FRTs that were seized or voluntarily surrendered — upon request by September 30, 2025.
Dismiss all pending lawsuits with prejudice, including:
- NAGR v. Bondi (N.D. Tex.)
- U.S. v. Rare Breed Triggers LLC (E.D.N.Y.)
- U.S. v. Misc. Firearms & Related Parts (D. Utah)
- Process RBF’s Federal Firearms License (FFL) without penalizing them for previously manufacturing or distributing FRTs.
- Allow Rare Breed Triggers and RBF to pursue patent enforcement against counterfeit products.
The government also agreed to release all claims against the plaintiffs, and vice versa — a clean break and a complete victory.
“This is a complete and total vindication of Rare Breed Triggers and everyone who stood up for the Constitution,” said Lawrence DeMonico, who founded the company to bring innovative trigger technology to responsible gun owners. “We refused to fold — and we won.”
A Broader Impact for All Americans
This is not just a win for Rare Breed or TXGR.
The settlement represents a clear rebuke of the ATF’s lawmaking-by-letter strategy, which has increasingly been used to punish legal gun owners without congressional authority.
The Legal Team and Trump Connection
The lawsuit was spearheaded by the Dhillon Law Group, with attorneys originally led by Harmeet Dhillon and Dave Warrington — both of whom left the firm in early 2025 to join the Trump administration.
Dhillon now serves as Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, while Warrington, a founding member and former Chairman of NAGR, joined the White House as Chief Counsel and Assistant to the President.
Warrington’s relationship with TXGR and McNutt dates back to 2019, when he represented the group in its explosive confrontation with then-Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who secretly conspired to kill Constitutional Carry legislation in Texas.
McNutt’s public pressure campaign forced Bonnen to expose his anti-gun maneuvering — and led to his political downfall.
“Dave has always had our back, even when the political class wanted us silenced,” McNutt said. “His fingerprints are all over this win.”
The Road Ahead
While the settlement ends the FRT fight, it reinforces a broader truth: the Second Amendment is under constant attack — and relentless litigation, public pressure, and political resolve are the only things keeping it alive.
For Texas Gun Rights and its national affiliate NAGR, this is a blueprint for future battles.
“This was a team win — a victory for our members, our movement, and the Constitution,” McNutt said. “We’ve proven we can beat the deep state. And we’re just getting started.”
