The National Rifle Association (NRA) and several other gun rights groups have filed a lawsuit against California over the state’s new gun restriction laws.
The move comes after Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law banning the sale of “Glock-style” handguns that can be modified with devices known as “switches.”
The lawsuit, joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons & Gear, and two NRA members, argues the ban is unconstitutional.
They also argue that the law flies in the face of 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 lawsuit states.
“Semiautomatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars are not different from any other type of semiautomatic handgun in a constitutionally relevant way.”
California’s New Ban
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1127 last week.
The legislation prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling, transferring, or delivering “any semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistol.”
The law defines those pistols as “any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or with common household tools … into a machinegun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter as a replacement for the slide’s backplate without any additional engineering, machining, or modification of the pistol’s trigger mechanism.”
The law excludes hammer-fired handguns and striker-fired pistols without a cruciform trigger bar.
Law enforcement officers are also exempt.
The statute is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.
NRA: Law ‘Defies Supreme Court Precedent’
Gun rights advocates say the law is another example of California’s attempts to chip away at the Second Amendment.
The NRA and its allies argue that the ban targets firearms that are widely owned and used lawfully across the country.
Supporters of the measure point to a surge in modified Glock handguns being recovered by law enforcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) reported a 570% increase in these types of devices between 2017 and 2021, according to the Associated Press.
But opponents say the state’s approach is misguided and punishes law-abiding citizens.
“You can make a switch with a 3D printer, you going to outlaw those too?” one gun owner told Fox 11, arguing that the ban is just another step toward outlawing firearms entirely.
The NRA’s challenge now sets up yet another legal battle between California and gun owners.
The fight is likely to end up in federal court as the state continues to push aggressive restrictions and gun rights groups continue to invoke recent Supreme Court rulings that strengthened constitutional protections for the Second Amendment.
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