I was poking around and saw that Franklin Armory will not ship their binary trigger to Iowa.

https://www.franklinarmory.com/products/binary-firing-system-gen-iii-trigger-pack
This type of trigger is legal on the Federal level because ATF said the rearward and forward movements are considered two functions and hence the firearm only discharges once per function of the trigger. I'm not sure this runs afoul of Iowa 724.1 1 a.

724.1 Offensive weapons.
1. An offensive weapon is any device or instrumentality of the following types:
a. A machine gun. A machine gun is a firearm which shoots or is designed to shoot more
than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on this? Apologies if this was already discussed...my google fu found nothing.

IIRC it's perfectly legal to own in IA, but can't be SOLD in IA. Something about devices designed to increase the gun's rate of fire can't be sold in IA. Hellfire, Hellstorm, AS-IV, cranks, slidefire and now binary can't be sold here. "Sold in Iowa" apparently includes shipped to Iowa-or maybe the seller is just covering their ass.

I was not aware of that. Thanks for the info.

I could be completely wrong too, going by memory of what I was told.

I saw that Franklin Armory does not sell to Iowa and looked into the reason why. I didn't find anything solid on why it would be illegal in IA. There were a few random forum posts regarding what a states "legal" definition of a trigger pull is - something about pull AND release as one trigger pull vs. just the pull. Like I said - just snippets of random posts and pretty vague at that.

Echo trigger can be sold/shipped to Iowa.

Yep. I have had my echo trigger mailed to me.

I just went and ordered one. Wanted one for a while, but thanks to NRA had to jump on the bandwagon a little early.

They are probably relying on this:

724.29 Firearm devices.
A person who sells or offers for sale a manual or power-driven trigger activating device
constructed and designed so that when attached to a firearm increases the rate of fire of the
firearm is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor

You would have to have an absolute moron for an attorney to be convicted under this abysmally worded code section. Because I would think that it would be necessary to prove what the original rate of fire was before the device was attached.

No hard feelings from me-you guys have to cover your asses too, Cabelas won't shop trigger cranks here either.

Hey everybody, first time posting, long time lurker.

I joined the site just to help clarify a few things.

*Disclaimer* I am not a lawyer, but for $500/hr I’d be happy to have my lawyer chime in (he’s not cheap )

The way Iowa code defines a machine gun, and the way a binary trigger works, technically a binary trigger does not meet the definition of a machine gun under Iowa law. Good news there.

The part of Iowa law that mentions trigger devices states a device attached to a trigger, and since a binary trigger is the trigger and not a device attached to one, these are technically legal under that part of the law. So, that’s good too.

Now while a bumpstock can/does increase, or rather allows for the increase, in the rate of fire, since it does not attach to the trigger, these are legal as well. I myself have a few, and they are a blast. (pun intended)

Now on to the cranks: Since these do attach to the trigger, these are expressly forbidden by the law of the state. This sucks, and there is no reason for this stupid law.

It’s also worth noting that for those who may live in a state where trigger cranks are legal, if you operate these via a motor (I.e. an electric drill) you may not do so, lest you tempt fate with the alphabet boys.

As far as the legality of buying/selling binary triggers in the state of Iowa goes, Fostech has no issue with this, so that seems the logical route for those of us living in the Hawkeye State. Franklin Armory I suspect with has an erroneous understanding of state law, or simply doesn’t want to chance a legal debacle if they are sold here. While I believe it would be technically legal to bring a FA BFS into the state, I myself would rather play it safe and just go with the Fostech.

If I should happen upon free time today, I will go to my FFL friend and get his take on this. I trust his opinion on pretty much everything. Heck, he’s been in the business almost as long as I’ve been alive. (30+ years)

So how does the wording of that law affect bump fire devices?  I'm thinking more along the lines of the devices in this thread.

I'm interested as well, because I know someone with a 3d printer. Even paying shipping and costs of materials, it's still cheap as fuck.

Only reason I even want a bump stock is because people say I shouldn't have one. I doubt I'll even use the thing more than once or twice every few years. Ammo ain't cheap.

Unfortunately unless the wording of the law changes, or until someone is arrested and charged for violating it with a binary trigger it will probably remain a grey area.  We have some terribly worded laws here, and those are prime examples.  I could see a DA trying to interpret the law as such after the arrest by an overzealous LEO who was called by a Fudd for shooting "full auto" at the range.  I really would be more comfortable with the wording change (ha!  unlikely), or someone manage to challenge it legally.

Apparently legal in Iowa now as I bought mine from Brownell's.   Walked in, ordered it and walked out.

But it does run afoul of 724.29. Not for owning or possessing, but for selling in Iowa. So as long as you leave the state to buy one, you're fine. But they can't be sold in Iowa or shipped here by a business.

724.29 Firearm devices. A person who sells or offers for sale a manual or power-driven trigger activating device constructed and designed so that when attached to a firearm increases the rate of fire of the firearm is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. 1990 Acts, ch 1147, §10