Ashford Armament is an AR15 Firearms Compliance Manufacturer. Founded in 2019, Ashford Armament brought America’s first “interrupted-action” compliance device for AR15 style rifles to market.
The Birth of Our Compliance Device
Ashford Armament was started as a result of a judicial ruling by Judge Roger Benitez in March of 2019. Judge Benitez issued a ruling in Duncan v Becerra, which is a still-ongoing case on California’s standard capacity magazine ban. The ban as it’s written prohibits the purchase of magazines that can hold over 10 rounds. Judge Benitez ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, which prompted what many California firearm enthusiasts call “Freedom Week”. Between March 29th and April 5th of 2019, residents of California were allowed to purchase ammunition feeding devices that exceeded the previously held 10-round capacity limit. During this week our founder, Trenton Ashford Irons, purchased several standard capacity magazines - eager to install them and enjoy them in his then state-compliant rifle. Upon receipt of the standard capacity magazines he ordered, he was frustrated to find he could still not use them in his fixed-magazine rifle.
Why couldn’t he use these legally purchased standard capacity magazines in his rifle? In order to answer this question, we first have to look at the text of California’s Assault Weapons Ban. California bans certain rifles by specific type, series, and model and also by the firearm’s general characteristics. Beyond rifles that are named by type, series, and model, California also defines assault weapons as:
- A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that does not have a fixed magazine but has any one of the following: (A) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon; (B) A thumbhole stock; (C) A folding or telescoping stock; (D) A grenade launcher or flare launcher; (E) A flash suppressor; or (F) A forward pistol grip.
- A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
- A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an overall length of less than 30 inches.
- A semiautomatic pistol that does not have a fixed magazine but has any one of the following: (A) A threaded barrel, capable of accepting a flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer; (B) A second handgrip; (C) A shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel that allows the bearer to fire the weapon without burning the bearer's hand, except a slide that encloses the barrel; (D) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.
- A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
In order to be compliant with this definition and still own an AR-style rifle, residents of CA only had two compliance options: Fixed-magazine (meaning - not having a detachable magazine), or Featureless (meaning - not having the features named above such as a pistol grip, telescoping stock, etc.).
A fixed-magazine rifle typically has named features, but requires the user to separate the lower receiver from the upper receiver to detach and reload the magazine. With fixed-magazine rifles, you may not have a magazine attached that exceeds 10 rounds of capacity.
A featureless rifle cannot have any named features, but does not require the user to separate the lower receiver from the upper receiver to detach and reload the magazine. With featureless rifles, you can have a magazine attached that exceeds 10 rounds of capacity.
During Freedom Week, Trenton had a mag-locked rifle. Like many residents of California, he had tried featureless options and hated their ergonomics. While fixed-mag options were the lesser of two evils (at the time), Trenton wanted to use his newly acquired standard capacity magazines while keeping his features.
Why Interrupted Action over Fixed-Magazine and Featureless?
He looked carefully at the definition of “Assault Weapon” in California and noticed a single term appeared in almost all of the definitions given by the state - “Semiautomatic”. After further investigation, he found that California had defined “Semiautomatic” through case law as:
“...a firearm functionally able to fire a single cartridge, eject the empty case, and reload the chamber each time the trigger is pulled and released.”
Therein formed the idea of the Bolt Retention System (BRS). If the firing cycle can be interrupted, and the user has to intervene to complete the firing cycle, then the rifle wouldn’t meet the definition of “Semiautomatic” cited in California’s existing case law. After several rounds of prototyping, Trenton came up with the final version of the BRS. The BRS is a drop-in replacement for the bolt-catch of an AR15 that interrupts the firing cycle after a casing is ejected, and before a new cartridge can be loaded. To complete the firing cycle and release the bolt forward, the user must interface with a lever that extends down next to the trigger well.
Getting Legal Support
Eager to validate his idea, Trenton contacted Jason Davis, from Michel & Associates. This firm was a part of the legal team who helped to bring the Bullet Button to market - the prior leading compliance device in California for almost a decade. After receiving a supportive written legal opinion, Trenton got to work. After testing the BRS with more than 30,000+ rounds of ammunition, and after working with several American manufacturers, he was able to bring the product to market nearly four years after the idea’s inception.
How We Help Firearms Enthusiasts Enjoy Their Rifles
Today, the BRS is for sale in six states, and provides a wonderful compliance option for AR15 owners to comply with Assault Weapons Bans without having to deal with the headaches that featureless rifles and fixed-magazine rifles bring. If you’re interested in comfort at the range, configuring your rifle in the way that makes you happy, and having a quickly reversible compliance option that doesn’t take permanent modifications, the BRS is a fantastic option for you. The BRS is available for purchase in applicable states here.