4 States Have Banned 'Convertible' Handguns

Four states — California, Maryland, Connecticut, and New York — have passed laws restricting Glock-style handguns, and are now facing legal challenges. The States breaks down the effective dates, the legal arguments, and what's actually being banned. California's law took effect July 1, 2025; Connecticut's takes effect October 1, 2026; Maryland's January 1, 2027; and New York's May 31, 2027. Existing owners are generally allowed to keep firearms they already own, with standard law enforcement and military exemptions. The laws target what lawmakers call "convertible pistols" — factory-standard Glock and Glock-style handguns with a cruciform trigger bar, a design feature the Second Amendment Foundation says makes nearly all Glock pattern pistols meet the states' legal definition, even though the guns themselves are unmodified. Converting a pistol to fire fully automatic — using illegal parts commonly called "Glock switches" — is already a federal crime. The segment includes testimony from Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb, California gun-rights advocate Sam Paredes, New York state senator George Borrello, and law enforcement testimony from a Maryland committee hearing citing Prince George's County recovery data on Glock switches. The Second Amendment Foundation, National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and other plaintiffs have sued over New York's law. A federal judge has so far declined to block California's law despite a challenge from the Trump administration DOJ. Illinois considered similar legislation this year; it died when the session ended in May. Read more at thecentersquare.com.