SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This session, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced AB 1127 to stop the spread of illegal DIY machine guns in California, continuing California’s efforts to respond to emerging threats of illegal firearm manufacturing and ghost guns. The legislation would prohibit gun dealers from selling firearms that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons through the simple installation of a Glock switch, which enables the pistols to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute. The legislation would not affect law enforcement nor force current owners of these weapons to relinquish their firearms. Since introduction, AB 1127 has passed the Assembly Public Safety and Judiciary Committees, and is now in the Assembly Appropriations suspense file.
“No novice should be able to convert their pistol into a DIY machine gun with just a 3D printer and a screwdriver within minutes,” said Greg Lickenbrock, senior firearms analyst at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Modified pistols equipped with Glock switches are exceptionally deadly weapons that have become a weapon of choice for criminals and are increasingly turning up at crime scenes in California and across the country. Gun manufacturers must take action to ensure their pistols are not so easily susceptible to these devices.”
Here’s What to Know About AB 1127:
- Current owners and law enforcement won’t be affected by this bill. AB 1127 would not require current gun owners to dispose of the machinegun-convertible pistols they already own. The bill also exempts future sales to law enforcement and the military for use in their official duties. It won’t be illegal to possess these guns under the new law, and it also does not impact a current gun owner’s ability to buy ammunition for their weapon, take it to a gunsmith, sell it in a private sale, or pass it down to family members.
- This bill would prohibit the sale of firearms that are easily convertible to machine guns. On the federal level, machine guns have been highly regulated since the 1930s, and civilians cannot own machine guns manufactured after May 1986. Machine guns are also prohibited under California state law. But because the gun industry has chosen to put profits over public safety, firearms that can be easily converted into machine guns are readily available. AB 1127 bans the sale of weapons that can be easily modified into DIY machine guns in an effort to prevent these deadly weapons from continuing to flood our streets.
- The majority of the firearm market will not be impacted. The majority of pistols available for sale in California, including by some of the largest manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Taurus, and others don’t have this problem. Nothing in this legislation would prohibit their continued sale in the state.
- This bill protects small business owners. Gun dealers will still be allowed to sell their inventory of the pistols outlined by the bill that they acquired before the law goes into effect on January 1, 2026, avoiding sudden financial losses and giving them time to adjust — a balanced approach that supports small businesses while improving public safety. AB 1127 also allows gun dealers to continue selling these guns to law enforcement agencies. The bill is narrowly focused on keeping these easily convertible guns out of the civilian retail market.
- A stop on a dangerous design. If gun manufacturers affected by this legislation take steps to ensure their pistols are no longer convertible with switches and otherwise comply with California law, they can sell them again at retail. AB 1127’s definition is technical and specific – it only applies to pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted into a machinegun by hand or with common household tools like a screwdriver or file.
- “Glock switch” bans work, but they’re not enough. Machine gun conversion devices, like Glock switches, have been illegal under federal and California law for decades. But now, people can make them with 3D printers and move them easily because they’re small. This makes it harder for police to find them, and criminals are taking advantage of this new technology. Between 2017 and 2021, the ATF reported a 570% increase in machine gun conversion devices nationwide from the preceding five years.
Here’s how DIY Machine Guns Have Devastated Communities in California:
- In 2022, in Sacramento, a DIY Glock pistol converted into a machine gun was involved in a gun battle that tragically resulted in six fatalities and twelve injuries. Officers at the scene recovered more than 110 shell casings.
- In 2019, six members of a Fresno, California, criminal gang shot a family that they had mistaken for a rival gang with a DIY Glock pistol converted into a machine gun, killing four people and wounding six others.
- In 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) intercepted hundreds of Glock switches devices. These machine gun converters, originating from China, were mislabelled in shipping manifests to evade detection.
- A 2022 NBC 7 San Diego report found that modified Glocks have turned up in communities across Southern California, including an arrest of a juvenile in Chula Vista. Law enforcement officials interviewed for the piece mentioned that: “Law enforcement is in a very dangerous situation when they come up against these types of firearms.”
- In 2024, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced that it had recovered more than 31,000 machine gun conversion devices across the nation, including Glock switches, in the past five years.
- Recoveries of machine gun conversion devices by police, including Glock switches, increased by 784% between 2019 and 2023. In 2023 alone, 5,816 of these devices were recovered across the country.
In January 2025, Everytown unveiled a new report that found that California leads the nation for the strength of its gun laws for the fourth year in a row. Statistics about gun violence in California are available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator – which shows how California’s gun laws compare to those of other states – is available here.
To speak with a policy expert at Everytown or a local volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Student Demand Action about AB 1127, please reach out to [email protected].