The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Second Amendment Section has put California on notice as the country's first statewide ban on Glock-style pistols nears its effective date.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a "tough on guns" Democrat, signed California AB 1127 last October. The measure was sent to his desk largely along party lines and targets semi-automatic pistols that can potentially be converted to full auto with a common aftermarket switch or chip, though it doesn't specify "Glock" by name. These switches are already illegal under the National Firearms Act unless registered, with individuals found with an unregistered switch risking 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, even if it is not installed in a firearm.
As AB 1127 is set to take effect on July 1, the U.S. Justice Department is warning state officials that the Glock ban is unconstitutional, and they can expect a lawsuit challenging it.
"California's ban on the sale of the most popular handgun in America violates the Second Amendment," said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, in a letter to Newsom and California AG Rob Bonta this week.
Dhillon pointed out that the 2023 ruling in Boland v. Bonta already chastised the state on the subject when the court said, "Californians have the constitutional right to acquire and use state-of-the-art handguns to protect themselves."
Advising she has already authorized the filing of a complaint in a federal district court over the matter, Dhillon said in the letter that the Justice Department will consider deferring the lawsuit for a "short period" of time if negotiations can be worked out, so long as the state acknowledges the Glock ban is unconstitutional and halts the enforcement of the prohibition.
The short period has a deadline of 5:00 p.m. on June 30.
"Tick tock! On July 1, CA plans to impose an unconstitutional 'Glock Ban," noted Dhillon on social media. "Today, I notified [Newsom and Bonta] to drop the unconstitutional restrictions on law-abiding citizens’ rights to purchase legal firearms before the ban goes into effect, or we will sue. Stay tuned!"
Going beyond California, several other deep blue states, including Connecticut, Illinois, and Maryland, have moved to enact similar arbitrary bans.
Meanwhile, Dhillon's office has been busy from coast to coast in the past eight months, opening investigations and https://www.guns.com/news/2026/04/13/feds-warn-virginia-over-looming-assault-weapon-ban promising lawsuits against anti-2A policies.
Banner image: The Glock 19 Gen 3 9mm, which could soon become an endangered species in California under AB 1127. It is one of the most common semi-auto pistols in America and first entered the market in 1998. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
