SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 2 (Our California Times) — California’s ban on certain semiautomatic pistols that can be readily converted into machine guns took effect July 1, even as the Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block it.
Assembly Bill 1127, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10, 2025, bars licensed firearms dealers from selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring or delivering the covered handguns, according to the state legislative record.
The law applies to semiautomatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or with common household tools into a machine gun using a pistol converter. The legislative record says the measure also expands California’s definition of “machinegun” to include a machinegun-convertible pistol equipped with a pistol converter.
AB 1127 was authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, and Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco. The Assembly said the statute does not prohibit possession by current owners and includes exemptions for law enforcement and military agencies.
The lawsuit adds a new clash between California and the Trump administration over state gun policy. The Justice Department asked a federal court to block enforcement of the law, according to the complaint filed in court.
