California’s ban on one of the nation’s most popular handguns is facing a challenge just days after Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, signed it. Assembly Bill 1127, signed by Newsom on Friday, Oct. 10, bans the sale or transfer of handguns with a “cruciform trigger bar,” a gun part common to many semi-automatic firearms. The gun component is a central part of Glock-brand handguns.
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The law specifically bans licensed gun dealers from selling or transferring the handguns if they received them after the law takes effect next July 1. Private sales are still allowed.
The reasoning for the restriction is that guns with the particular design can easily be converted to fire fully automatic with an auto-sear, commonly referred to as a “switch,” an add-on available online. The part can also be 3D printed. The accessory allows most Glock handguns to empty an extended magazine in just seconds with one trigger pull. The bill’s sponsors argue that gun manufacturers knew about the issue and refused to address the design.
Authorities say a handgun converted with a switch was used in a 2022 gang-related shooting in Sacramento that left six dead and more than a dozen wounded.
Ownership of an auto-sear is already illegal in California, as well as ownership of a fully automatic firearm in general. The switch devices are considered machine guns by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The latest bureau data show more than 4,500 switches seized in 2023.
Lawsuit
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in California’s Southern District court, seeks to nullify the law as a violation of the Second Amendment. A 2008 landmark court ruling granted broad federal protections to guns that are commonly used at the time a restriction is enacted.
“The Constitution does not allow elitist politicians to decide which constitutionally protected guns the people may own, and California doesn’t get to tell people that their rights end where Governor Newsom’s tyrannical, anti-Second Amendment politics begin,” said Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs. “Every American has a right to choose the tools they trust to defend their lives and liberty.”
Plaintiffs argue that the ban on selling or transferring the handguns leaves “no practical way to acquire them,” which is a foundational premise that’s swayed the U.S. Supreme Court in multiple high-profile firearms decisions.
FPC is joined by the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation and local plaintiffs.
Supporters behind the law
Everytown for Gun Safety led a significant push behind the legislation, marshaling nearly 135,000 messages and over 2,400 calls to lawmakers.
“We applaud Governor Newsom and state lawmakers for putting California at the forefront of the fight against DIY machine guns, which are just as scary as they sound,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety on Monday.
Everytown didn’t respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit Wednesday evening.
