In rapid succession, three blue states have followed California’s lead and moved to ban some of the most commonly owned handguns nationwide. Within the span of a single week, governors in Maryland, Connecticut, and New York signed sweeping measures targeting Glock pistols and similar firearms. Until now, only California had enacted such a categorical prohibition. The speed and similarity of these actions should alarm every law-abiding gun owner in the country.
In Maryland, the statute defines the term "machine gun convertible" pistol to effectively ban most Glock and Glock-style handguns on the market — firearms owned by millions of Americans for lawful purposes. Connecticut’s law follows the same playbook. It bans the future manufacture, sale and importation of a wide range of commonly owned handguns while layering new restrictions on unfinished frames and receivers. New York has gone even further, making it a Class D felony to sell or transfer what it calls a "convertible pistol."
The NRA has already filed suit in Maryland, atop our prior suit against California last October, and we are considering challenges in other jurisdictions.
These measures have less to do with public safety than with implementing a broader strategy of restricting access to commonly owned firearms.
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These laws are being promoted to the public as targeting "DIY machine guns." The branding, like the justification for these laws, collapses under even minimal scrutiny. Converting a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm is already a serious federal offense, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and federal law also prohibits the manufacture, sale and possession of the conversion devices used to make that modification. On top of that, more than half the states in the country have already outlawed the conversion devices themselves.
Since converting a semiautomatic to full auto is already illegal three times over, the real question is why aren’t criminals deterred from using them? Quite simply: lack of enforcement.
But rather than call for stronger enforcement of existing laws, activists instead have shifted the focus away from criminals and squarely onto law-abiding citizens.
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Glock bans won’t end criminal creativity, but they will begin to move the needle on the gun control extremists’ long desired goal to ban all handguns.
Courts have repeatedly rejected broad handgun bans, so gun control advocates are trying a different route: redefine these common firearms as "DIY machine guns" and ban them as a safety risk. But the guns being banned aren’t exotic or unusual. They are being targeted because they are the most popular handguns in America, widely used for personal protection, law enforcement, and recreational shooting. Their consistent design and affordability have made them accessible to first-time gun owners and valued by experienced shooters.
Small businesses will bear the brunt of the economic damage, as the brand that accounts for much of their sales is removed from shelves. The impact of the bans in these states is compounded by pre-existing bans on semiautomatic rifles passed under the moniker "assault weapon." Taken together, they threaten the survival of small stores in an industry where margins on retail sales are historically tight.
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The consequences for gun owners, present and future, will be substantial. Law-abiding Americans will see their choices for self-defense sharply reduced. Besides being affordable and dependable, Glocks, which come in more than 40 models, vary widely in size and caliber to accommodate a range of personal and use case preferences.
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Women often choose subcompact and slimline variants because they fit their hands better. These laws reduce choice for Americans who simply want to defend themselves and their families.
Americans have seen efforts like this before, and they have not survived constitutional scrutiny. Under recent Supreme Court precedent, including New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, firearm regulations must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of gun ownership.
That will not change here. The right to keep and bear arms does not hinge on the political preferences of a handful of states, nor can it be erased by redefining common firearms out of existence. These bans will face vigorous legal challenges, and if they are judged on the same constitutional principles that have protected this right for generations, we are confident they’ll be overturned.
But gun owners can’t sit back and hope for the courts to intervene on their behalf. Other states will seek to follow now that three others have joined California. And when the gun grabbers take this bad legislation as far as they can go, they’ll move on to other ways to limit your ability to exercise your Second Amendment rights. That’s why gun owners have to stay engaged, make your voice heard to your elected officials, and when November comes around, vote for someone who will stand with you.
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