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Binary trigger ban set to take effect in MN
A new law banning binary triggers in Minnesota is set to take effect at the start of the New Year.
New binary trigger law
(FOX 9) - The background: The law was written and passed months after a man shot and killed two police officers and a firefighter-paramedic in Burnsville in February. The shooter used a binary trigger, investigators said. The law makes owning or possessing a binary trigger a felony, with a punishment of up to 20 years in prison or a fine of up to $35,000, or both.
What’s a binary trigger?
Explainer: A binary trigger is a device that allows a shooter to fire two rounds from a gun with a single trigger pull. The devices, which cost between $250 and $300, are uncommon but sometimes used by gun enthusiasts for recreational purposes, Vick said.
What’s next: The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Reaction
What they’re saying: Democratic State Rep. Kaela Berg of Burnsville, who authored the law, said the binary trigger used in the February shooting made it difficult for first responders to defend themselves.
"Even having access to one of them in this particular case that happened in Burnsville was far too much," she said. "What we are doing is taking steps to make sure that our first responders in our communities are just a bit safer…."
But gun experts said the devices are not widely used, which renders any ban on them virtually pointless.
"It’s not going to reduce crime," said Kevin Vick, the CEO of Stock & Barrel Gun Club in Chanhassen. "They’re putting them in the same category as what’s considered a switch, which you can put into Glocks [handguns], which does turn those into fully automatic firearms."
Vick said he has never sold binary triggers, in part because there is not a large demand for them.
"It’s a novelty item that shooters like to use on occasion," he said. "It really isn’t all that practical."