The Wire · CalGunHub

Newsom signs AB 1127 restricting dealer sales of convertible pistols

Published October 10, 2025 · Updated October 12, 2026

The new law expands the statutory definition of a machinegun and bars licensed dealers from selling machinegun-convertible pistols starting July 1, 2026.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: AB 1127 applies to licensed California firearms dealers, who, commencing July 1, 2026, may not sell or transfer pistols meeting the statute's machinegun-convertible definition. The law states that existing owners are unaffected and exempts law-enforcement and military sales. The dealer prohibition is the subject of federal litigation filed July 1, 2026, and its status could change. This is general information, not legal advice.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1127 on Oct. 10, 2025, and the bill was chaptered the same day as Chapter 572, Statutes of 2025, according to the California Legislative Information website. The measure was authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel and Catherine Stefani. The Assembly's Sept. 13, 2025 concurrence vote was 54 ayes to 16 noes.

Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the statute expands the legal definition of a machinegun to include semiautomatic pistols that can be converted using a device termed a pistol converter, a design involving a cruciform trigger bar, according to a California Department of Justice bulletin (2026-DLE-02). The design is widely described as targeting Glock-style pistols, though the statute does not name any manufacturer. Commencing July 1, 2026, licensed dealers may not sell or transfer machinegun-convertible pistols. Penalties escalate by violation: a $1,000 civil fine for a first offense, a $5,000 fine plus license suspension or revocation for a second, and a misdemeanor plus revocation for a third. Existing owners are not affected by the dealer prohibition, and sales to law enforcement and the military are exempt.

Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group that supports the law, described it as first-in-the-nation legislation. The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action opposed the bill, characterizing it as a complete ban on Glock platform firearms.

"No gun sold in California should be just a screwdriver away from becoming a machine gun," Stefani, the bill's co-author, said, according to USA Today.

Update: The Second Amendment Foundation and other plaintiffs filed Jaymes v. Bonta in the Southern District of California on Oct. 13, 2025; proceedings were stayed March 27, 2026 and a joint motion to dismiss was granted April 13, 2026. On June 24, 2026, U.S. DOJ Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter threatening suit. The dealer prohibition took effect July 1, 2026, and the U.S. Department of Justice sued California the same day, also challenging the state's handgun roster.

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.