The National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit against California challenging a new state law that bans the sale and transfer of Glock and similar handguns. Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday, the law takes effect January 1 and targets pistols that can be converted into machine guns. The NRA argues the measure violates Second Amendment rights protected by Supreme Court precedent.
On Friday, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law prohibiting the sale, transfer, or delivery of semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols in California, effective January 1. The legislation specifically targets handguns with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or common household tools, a design feature common to Glock and Glock-style pistols.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and two NRA members, filed suit on Monday against California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The complaint contends that the law amounts to a wholesale ban on some of the nation's most popular handguns, infringing on Second Amendment protections.
NRA Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director John Commerford stated, “Our message to Governor Newsom is simple: we will see you in court.” He added, “Gavin Newsom and his gang of progressive politicians in California are continuing their crusade against constitutional rights. Once again, they are attempting to violate landmark Supreme Court decisions and disarm law-abiding citizens by banning some of the most commonly owned handguns in America. This flagrant violation of rights cannot, and will not, go unchecked.”
Commerford referenced the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller, which affirmed the right to possess handguns for self-defense. He told The Daily Wire that the NRA "will not stand by while a rabid anti-gun governor dictates from their office how individuals can exercise their Second Amendment rights. The Supreme Court has opined that you cannot wholesale ban handguns, and that’s exactly what Governor Gavin Newsom just did."
Democrats behind the law aim to prevent the illegal conversion of these pistols into machine guns, an act already punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. The suit highlights Glocks as among the most popular firearms nationwide, framing the ban as an overreach on lawful ownership.