NRA and Gun Groups Sue California Over Ban on Convertible Glock-Style Pistols

The National Rifle Association and several gun rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against California. To challenge state’s newly enacted ban on Glock-style handguns. That can be converted into fully automatic weapons using small modification devices known as switches.

The NRA Is joined in the suit by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons & Gear, and two NRA members. The lawsuit argues that California’s law violates the Second Amendment and contradicts U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

“A law that bans the sale of and correspondingly prevents citizens from acquiring a weapon in common use violates the Second Amendment,” the complaint states. It adds that “semiautomatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars are not different from any other type of semiautomatic handgun in a constitutionally relevant way.”

Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1127 last week, prohibiting the sale or transfer of Glock and Glock-style semiautomatic pistols that can be easily converted into machine guns. Under the new law, licensed firearms dealers “shall not sell, offer for sale, exchange, give, transfer, or deliver any semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistol”. Defined as any pistol with a cruciform trigger bar. That can be readily converted by replacing the slide’s backplate without additional engineering or modification.

The law excludes hammer-fired semiautomatic pistols and striker-fired models without a cruciform trigger bar. Also does not apply to law enforcement officers. It is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has reported a 570 percent increase in converted weapons seized by law enforcement from 2017 to 2021. Some gun owners argue that the law represents another step toward restricting firearm ownership.

One gun owner said, “You can make a switch with a 3D printer, you going to outlaw those too?” Others say that for those who follow the law, maintaining responsible gun safety, such as securing firearms in a Glock 19 IWB Holster by Blade-Tech, which fits multiple Glock models and ensures safe concealed carry, is a more practical solution than blanket bans.