SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Gun rights organizations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new California law that bans certain types of Glock-style semi-automatic firearms. <\/p>\n
The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, prohibits the sale of semiautomatic pistols with a \u201ccruciform trigger bar\u201d \u2014 a feature that allows gun owners attach a device commonly called a switch that boosts the weapon\u2019s firepower and converts it into a machine gun capable spraying dozens of bullets in a fraction of a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cNewsom and his gang of progressive politicians in California are continuing their crusade against constitutional rights,\u201d John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. \u201cThey are attempting to violate landmark Supreme Court decisions and disarm law-abiding citizens by banning some of the most commonly owned handguns in America.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleges the law violates the Second Amendment. Plaintiffs include the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and the Second Amendment Foundation, as well as some individuals and smaller businesses. <\/p>\n
The legal action alleges that California\u2019s new law essentially bans the sale of certain Glock-brand handguns and others with similar features that allow modification by owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cA law that bans the sale of \u2014 and correspondingly prevents citizens from acquiring \u2014 a weapon in common use violates the Second Amendment,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cSemiautomatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars are not different from any other type of semiautomatic handgun in a constitutionally relevant way. The Supreme Court has already held that handguns are in common use and cannot be banned.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit states the only justification for banning a firearm is when the weapon is \u201cdangerous and unusual\u201d and argues that semiautomatic pistols are neither. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are also unquestionably in common use for lawful purposes,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cIn fact, they are among the most popular handguns in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced Assembly Bill 1127<\/a>, said his bill was intended to help protect communities from gun violence. <\/p>\n \u201cAutomatic weapons are exceptionally lethal and capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute; they are illegal in California,\u201d he told the Senate Public Safety Committee in July. \u201cUnfortunately, some semi-automatic firearms feature a dangerous design element allowing them to be converted to automatic weapons through the attachment of an easy-to-use device known as a switch.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the last few years, handguns retrofitted with switches were used in several prominent shootings<\/a> in California, including the 2022 mass shooting in downtown Sacramento that left six people dead and a dozen injured. <\/p>\n Machine gun conversion switches are illegal in the United States and are mostly manufactured overseas. They also can be built at home using 3-D printers. Instructions for installing one on a firearm can be found online and require little to no technical expertise.<\/p>\n