Yes it’s legal but consensus is you open yourself up to legal scrutiny if you have to use it for SD.

personally I carry a bone stock factory gun for CC

i have plenty of range toys back at home with modified triggers for range use.

 

I kinda figured that would be the case. Better to know open myself to scrutiny, especially during a SD situation. Thank you!

 

Somebody spends too much time on the Internet .

 

...and not enough times with Searches

 

 

Exactly!

 

when we send a gun to the crime lab, they only thing they check (and what the Prosecutor cares about) is "Operability". Which means does it work. Not the internet fantasy taboo things

 

True, but the prosecution or plaintiff's atty will do their own investigation of the firearm and argue their own conclusions in court. Facts about the condition of the firearm can also come out in EBTs or depositions.

 

I haven't slept at the Holiday Inn Express lately, but I believe it is legal to carry with an aftermarket trigger. Post #6 sounds very reasonable. You will have so many other questions to answer/prove to judge/jury, that is, if you can afford a good attorney

 

Yes.

 

I'd be more concerned that a non-stock trigger would fail when I needed it as opposed to whether or not a lawyer would bring it up in a court room.

 

In addition, always wise to seek answers from a attorney in your state, rather than from the internet

 

I dont see how it matters unless you didnt intend to pull the trigger or it wasnt a justified self defense situation.

 

I’d be a lot more concerned with whether the use of deadly force was justified than any gun mods

 

It always comes down to “was the use of the firearm justified”. If yes, it’s not a problem.
If it’s no or dirty grey, then stuff like modifications , punisher logo’s or social media activity may be thrown back in your face.

 

There is nothing in the law of any state about

I generally agree.

There was a case here a few years ago where the shooter was found justified in killing his neighbor in a gunfight. He got 15 years in prison for endangering 3 people standing nearby during the shooting. Imagine if he had actually hit one of them.

If you shoot the guy you are clearly justified in shooting, that's probably all it comes down to, although people constantly get sued over justified shootings. But when things like modified guns are really important is when it's not clearly justified, like when you shoot the wrong person or when your justification is based on a mistaken belief that you are in danger.

I once testified as a firearms expert in a robbery case, where the robber had shot a cashier in a convenience store. He said he didn't mean to, but she grabbed his gun and pulled. The evidence was that when the police recovered the gun at the scene there was fired brass in the chamber, so very likely the guy was telling the truth. The weight of the trigger was one of the first things the experts on both sides were asked. I actually measured it, while the expert on the prosecution side just said "five and half to eight pounds." That wasn't true and didn't make sense until I realized later he hadn't tested it and had just quoted the Glock manual or web sight that said "5.5 - 8 lb." which actually meant 5.5 OR 8, for standard or New York trigger, not a range of 5.5 to 8.

A couple of years ago I was involved in a shooting case where the punisher logo was an issue. It was on the officer's car, not his gun, but it was visible in video of the shooting, so that made a really bad impression and was played up by the attorney for the dead guy's estate.

 

If you perform a good shoot and you know it was justified... What are you really going to be worried about?

 

Kinda depends on the jurisdiction, doesn't it. Just ask Kyle Rittenhouse.

 

Just remember none of these legal beagles are going to be defending you a few ever have to go to court

 

Yes. Anything else is irrelevent.

 

I’ve never seen a use of force statute in any state that so much as mentioned the word “trigger”. Nor have I seen a criminal statute that mentions the word “trigger” or whether or not a gun is stock OEM or (legally) modified.

Any use of force will be evaluated based on the totality of circumstances and each one is unique. I’ve never seen a trigger act on the decision whether or not to charge from a criminal standpoint. I suppose a modified trigger has more likelihood to affect a civil suit, but even that is comparatively rare.

That said, with the exception of one competition 22 pistol, all mine are OEM simply because I can see no good reason to modify them.

 

 

@Jay enn 412

A Wilson Combat tuned 1911 or Beretta will have a trigger that has been tweaked. Nobody gives a crap about guns with tweaked triggers, unless you admit to a negligent discharge.

 

"But officer, the internet said I could" is not a defense I would want to stake my freedom on.

Best if you do your own research via reading the law and looking for past instances when your question was answered with previous cases. When all else fails, ask a good defense attorney.

 

Depends, some California agencies will not issue a permit with aftermarket mods.

 

I'd listen to Mas. Your best bet is a stock pistol unmodified.

 

Best not to have a backplate that reads "Smile and wait for the Flash".

 

Or a skull

 

If you have carry lawyer insurance from a group like US Law Shield or USCCA give them a call. They will be knowledgeable about the laws in your state and you have already paid for their legal advise.

 

laws vary from place to place and everyones circumstance is unique. That said, I will speak to my personal sentiments which apply narrowly to just my own personal practices. I support everyone following the letter of the law at all times.

Now, might someone on the opposing side of a legal entanglement try and make something of an altered or modded trigger? Sure... and they might also give you crap about using some wicked sounding ammo, punisher logo back plate or your bumper stickers on your car. Am I worried about that?... nope. Can such an attempt to vilify a person actually get traction and cause a problem?.. it might. I typically run a gun stock but I have been known to use a short trigger on sigs. As far as my personal level of concern regarding this issue.. it is very very very low to none.

If we are talking about a lawful use of force which was intentional... I personally do not give a flip if someone wants to try and vilify a lawfully modded trigger. Now if we are talking about a circumstance where someone might say that I ND'd or UD'd... a modded trigger might be more concerning (to me) at that point.

I wont tell anyone else what to do but this is just me.

 

laws vary from place to place and everyones circumstance is unique. That said, I will speak to my personal sentiments which apply narrowly to just my own personal practices. I support everyone following the letter of the law at all times.

Now, might someone on the opposing side of a legal entanglement try and make something of an altered or modded trigger? Sure... and they might also give you crap about using some wicked sounding ammo, punisher logo back plate or your bumper stickers on your car. Am I worried about that?... nope. Can such an attempt to vilify a person actually get traction and cause a problem?.. it might. I typically run a gun stock but I have been known to use a short trigger on sigs. As far as my personal level of concern regarding this issue.. it is very very very low to none.

If we are talking about a lawful use of force which was intentional... I personally do not give a flip if someone wants to try and vilify a lawfully modded trigger. Now if we are talking about a circumstance where someone might say that I ND'd or UD'd... a modded trigger might be more concerning (to me) at that point.

I wont tell anyone else what to do but this is just me.

Even if you get passed the legal issues, there is civil court to consider. As MAS said, if the plantiff's attorney can show you might have intentionally shot their "victim" your insurance is out the window. Now they are going after your personal assets.
And you know the family's of the guy who was was just turning his life around before you defended yourself are more interested in your money then anything else.
Carrying a stock well made and maintained firearm is most likely your best bet.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Just not worth the possible risk in my opinion.

 

What if I want to change the trigger during my self defense shoot. I never fire two shots with the same trigger!