AB 1127: California's Convertible Pistol Ban (Effective July 1, 2026)

Quick Answer. Since July 1, 2026, subject to statutory exemptions, licensed California dealers may not sell, transfer, or deliver semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols, which covers most Glock-pattern designs with a cruciform trigger bar. The dealer-sales restriction does not ban possession of unconverted pistols, and private party transfers through a dealer remain exempt. The federal government has sued to overturn the law in United States v. California, but no court has blocked it and the ban is in force.

AB 1127, signed by Governor Newsom on October 10, 2025, prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling, transferring, or delivering "semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols" in California, subject to statutory exemptions. The prohibition took effect on July 1, 2026 and is now in force ^[1].

In Force Since July 1, 2026

AB 1127 was enacted as Chapter 572, Statutes of 2025, effective January 1, 2026. Its dealer-sales restriction became operative July 1, 2026. No court has enjoined it, and the dealer sales ban is being enforced. California residents who own a Glock-pattern or other striker-fired pistol with a cruciform trigger bar keep their firearms under this dealer-sales restriction. The dealer-sales restriction does not ban possession of pistols already owned that are not equipped with a pistol converter.

What the Law Bans

A "machinegun-convertible pistol" means any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or with common household tools into a machinegun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter as a replacement for the slide's backplate without any additional engineering, machining, or modification of the pistol's trigger mechanism. A pistol converter replaces the backplate and interferes with the trigger mechanism and thereby enables the pistol to shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger ^[1]. In practice, this targets most Glock-pattern pistols and striker-fired clones that use a cruciform trigger bar design.

What Is Prohibited

Since July 1, 2026:

- Except as provided in Penal Code section 27595(c), licensed dealers may not sell or transfer a machinegun-convertible pistol
- Sales or transfers to California licensed firearms dealers are exempt from this dealer-sales restriction
- Private party-to-private party transfers through a licensed dealer are exempt. Existing owners may sell a machinegun-convertible pistol through a PPT after July 1, 2026

The dealer-sales restriction does not ban possession of existing machinegun-convertible pistols that are not equipped with a pistol converter. Current owners may continue to possess and use pistols that are not equipped with a pistol converter. The dealer-sales restriction is separate from the machinegun provisions.

Except as authorized by law, possessing a machinegun-convertible pistol together with a pistol converter is a criminal offense. AB 1127 also enacted Penal Code Section 16880(d), which expands California's definition of "machinegun" to include any machinegun-convertible pistol that is "equipped with a pistol converter." Except as authorized by law, possession or knowing transport of a machinegun is punishable under Penal Code section 32625(a) by imprisonment under section 1170(h), a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Keeping a pistol converter apart from the pistol does not avoid the prohibition, because Penal Code Section 16880(b) also counts as a machinegun any part designed and intended solely and exclusively for converting a weapon into a machinegun. Possession of the converter alone may also violate federal NFA law.

Exemptions

Sales to the law enforcement agencies, military forces and other state agencies listed in Penal Code section 27595(c)(2) are exempt when made for lawful use in the discharge of their official duties. A pistol falls outside the machinegun-convertible definition if it lacks the design features specified in Penal Code section 16885. A polymer notch alone does not prevent a pistol from qualifying.

Compliance Now That the Ban Is in Effect

If you want to buy a machinegun-convertible pistol. Dealer purchases are restricted, subject to the exemptions in Penal Code section 27595(c). A dealer may still sell a qualifying pistol that was delivered to that dealer before January 1, 2026 under Penal Code section 27595(c)(1). A private party transfer (PPT) from an existing California owner, conducted through a licensed dealer, remains exempt under section 27595(c)(3).

If you already own a machinegun-convertible pistol: The dealer-sales restriction does not prohibit continued possession, use, or carry with applicable permits of an existing pistol that is not equipped with a pistol converter. You may also sell it through a PPT conducted through a licensed dealer.

If you are a dealer. Do not sell, offer for sale, exchange, give, transfer, or deliver any machinegun-convertible pistol. Inventory delivered to your business before January 1, 2026 may continue to be sold under Penal Code section 27595(c)(1). Other statutory exemptions cover sales to the listed law enforcement agencies and military forces for lawful use in the discharge of their official duties, PPTs, transfers to gunsmiths or other qualified entities for service or repair, sales to California licensed firearms dealers or federally licensed firearms manufacturers or dealers outside California, and returns after temporary safekeeping or prohibition periods. They also cover transfers to forensic laboratories or their employees while on duty and acting within the scope and course of employment. Sales to an active peace officer described in section 830.1 or a reserve peace officer described in section 830.6 are exempt if the officer is employed or appointed by a law enforcement agency described in section 830.1 and is authorized to carry a firearm on duty. The DOJ has published guidance on AB 1127 in Information Bulletin 2026-DLE-02 and marks machinegun-convertible models with a plus symbol on its Certified Handguns Roster. The statutory definition appears in Penal Code section 16885.

Legal Challenges: United States v. California

The operative challenge to AB 1127 is now United States v. California and Robert Bonta, No. 8:26-cv-01697 (C.D. Cal.), filed by the federal Department of Justice on July 1, 2026, the day the dealer sales ban took effect ^[3]. The complaint attacks both AB 1127 and the Unsafe Handgun Act roster, arguing that Glock-pattern pistols are arms in common use protected under District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and NYSRPA v. Bruen (2022). On July 9, 2026, Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani denied the federal government's ex parte application for a temporary restraining order without ruling on the Second Amendment merits, leaving the government free to seek a preliminary injunction on a regularly noticed motion ^[4]. No injunction is in place, and the ban remains enforceable while the case proceeds.

An earlier private challenge, Jaymes v. Bonta, No. 3:25-cv-02711 (S.D. Cal.), was filed by the NRA and other plaintiffs in October 2025 ^[2]. The court stayed that case on March 27, 2026 and dismissed it without prejudice on April 13, 2026 on the parties' joint motion.

Practical Impact

If you currently own a Glock or similar striker-fired pistol in California that is not equipped with a pistol converter, the dealer-sales restriction does not prohibit continued possession and use. You may purchase a machinegun-convertible pistol from a dealer when an exception under Penal Code section 27595 applies, including a pistol delivered to a firearms dealer prior to January 1, 2026. Sixteen Glock listings marked as machinegun-convertible remain on the DOJ Certified Handguns Roster with certifications running through January 1, 2027, but a dealer may sell them only if an exception under Penal Code section 27595 applies. A private party to private party transaction conducted through a licensed firearms dealer remains exempt under Penal Code section 27595(c)(3).