California GLOCK Ban: What it means for gun owners
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1127. This California GLOCK ban, as it is called, restricts the sale of pistols with a certain type of trigger bar. Lawmakers claim these guns can be easily converted to full automatic via a device.
What the California GLOCK Ban Actually Does
AB 1127 forbids licensed firearms dealers in California from selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring or delivering “any semiautomatic machine gun-convertible pistol” beginning July 1, 2026. The bill defines that class of pistol as a semi-auto with a “cruciform trigger bar” that can be “readily converted” into a machine gun by installing a pistol converter.
The measure expands the legal definition of machine gun to include a semi-automatic pistol equipped with such a converter, which would then make possession of a pistol equipped with a converter unlawful (machine gun prohibitions remain felony offenses under California law).
Exceptions to California GLOCK Ban
The law contains multiple exceptions. It does not criminalize possession of GLOCK pistols and GLOCK clones; it focuses on dealer sales. It also allows for certain transfers. These include private party transfers conducted through a licensed dealer, sales to law-enforcement and military agencies. It also includes transfers for repair and transfers out of state or to federally licensed manufacturers/dealers. There is also a carve-out for pistols that were “delivered to a dealer prior to January 1, 2026.”
Immediate Practical Effects
As of July 1, 2026, licensed California dealers will be barred from selling newly manufactured GLOCK-style pistols that meet the statute’s definition. That effectively ends retail sales of many popular GLOCKs and GLOCK clones in California.
The law does not appear to be an across-the-board ban on ownership of GLOCK pistols in private hands. Owners can continue to own GLOCK pistols and clones. The bill also allows certain private-party transfers through licensed dealers. Owners can even still buy and sell used pistols via the official transfer process if those transactions meet the statutory exceptions.
Dealers who received covered pistols before January 1, 2026, have limited options under the statute (the bill’s text explicitly addresses pre-existing deliveries). Dealers face escalating penalties for violations — fines for first and second offenses and license suspension or revocation for repeat violations. Because of this, many shops will likely stop stocking affected models well before the compliance date.
Transfers to gunsmiths for repair, to law-enforcement/military or shipment out of state remain permitted under the bill. That means an owner who needs service should still be able to get certain covered pistols repaired if the transfer is handled according to the law’s exceptions.
The Controversy
Numerous gun rights organizations, including the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation have filed suit seeking to block the law. These groups argue that the law violates both the Second Amendment and federal law.
Plaintiffs have asked courts to block the law. Temporary injunctions are possible and could delay or limit enforcement while the case proceeds.
Bottom line
AB 1127 does not immediately criminalize ordinary ownership of GLOCK-pattern pistols. However, it does limit what licensed dealers can sell in California starting July 1, 2026. It also expands the statutory definition of a machine gun in certain circumstances.
The law’s short- and medium-term effects will depend heavily on how the state Department of Justice writes implementing regulations, how quickly dealers adjust inventories, and whether the courts issue injunctions or ultimately strike down the law.
