California Bans Glock-Style Pistols Over Conversion Risk, Microstamping Law Cited in Debate

Sacramento, California – California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1127 into law, prohibiting the new sale of semi-automatic handguns, including popular Glock models, that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons. The legislation, which took effect on July 1, targets firearms featuring a "cruciform trigger bar," a design element lawmakers claim facilitates illegal modification. This move has sparked immediate legal challenges from Second Amendment advocacy groups. maladies. The state government contends that Glock and similar manufacturers have failed to update their designs to prevent these conversions, asserting that their inaction contributes to public safety risks. "As parents and lawmakers, we refuse to stand idly by while our schools and communities are being threatened by illegal machine guns," stated Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a co-author of the bill. Assemblymember Catherine Stefani added, "If these companies won’t redesign their weapons to protect our communities, California will hold them accountable." However, critics, including tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, argue that California's own stringent gun laws are precisely why Glock has not introduced updated designs in the state. Luckey stated in a recent tweet, "California (more specifically, Kamala Harris) decided in 2001 that all new handgun designs needed to include microstamping, a non-existent but patented technology that engraves every round with two unique serial numbers as they are fired." He added, "Existing designs were grandfathered in, but any changes whatsoever, even texture or color changes, would require this new non-existent technology." The microstamping requirement, which became effective in 2013 under then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, mandates that new semi-automatic handguns sold in California must imprint unique identifying information on spent cartridge casings. Gun rights advocates have long criticized this technology as unreliable, easy to circumvent, and commercially unfeasible, effectively freezing the state's approved handgun roster. This policy has meant that only older Glock models, such as Generation 3, could be sold to the general public, while newer generations with updated safety features available elsewhere were barred. Second Amendment organizations, including the National Rifle Association and the Firearms Policy Coalition, have swiftly filed lawsuits challenging AB 1127, arguing it violates constitutional rights by banning commonly owned firearms. They contend that the law targets features of weapons already in "common use" and that the justification for the ban is insufficient. The legal battles are expected to intensify as both sides prepare for prolonged court proceedings over the implications of the new legislation.