SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 2 (Our California Times) — A California law barring licensed firearms dealers from selling certain semiautomatic pistols that can be readily converted into machine guns took effect July 1, and the Trump administration sued the state the same day to try to block it.
Assembly Bill 1127 was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10 and chaptered as Chapter 572, Statutes of 2025, according to the state legislative record. The law covers semiautomatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be converted by hand or with common household tools using a pistol converter.
The statute expands California’s definition of “machinegun” to include a machinegun-convertible pistol equipped with a pistol converter. It also prohibits the manufacture, sale, possession or transportation of that combination, while barring dealers from selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring or delivering the affected firearms.
The measure was authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel of Encino and Catherine Stefani of San Francisco. Assembly materials say current owners are not barred from keeping their firearms, and the law includes exemptions for gun dealers, law enforcement and military agencies in future sales.
The Justice Department filed its challenge in federal court and asked for an order blocking the law, according to the complaint cited by the Los Angeles Times.
