DOJ sues California to halt Glock ban and handgun roster

Part 1 of 5

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1127 on October 10, 2025, making California the first state in the nation to ban the retail sale of Glock pistols and similarly designed handguns. The law, authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), targets any semiautomatic handgun with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted into a fully automatic weapon by inserting a small device known as a Glock switch. The law does not name Glock by brand; it bans the underlying firing mechanism.

AB1127 took effect in two phases. Starting January 1, 2026, dealers could not receive new machinegun-convertible pistol inventory. Starting July 1, 2026, dealers could not transfer any remaining stock. The practical result is that over 100 handgun models, including virtually all current Glock models, were removed from California's roster of certified handguns.

Part 2 of 5

The DOJ filed its complaint on July 1, 2026, the same day the full Glock sales ban took effect. The case is United States v. State of California and Robert Bonta, case number 8:2026-cv-1697, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced the lawsuit through the DOJ Office of Public Affairs.

The complaint names two defendants: the State of California and California Attorney General Rob Bonta in his official capacity as head of the California Department of Justice. The DOJ also challenged the existing Handgun Roster statute, California Penal Code section 31910, which requires handguns to meet design standards before dealers can sell them. As a result of these requirements, no new handguns were added to the roster between 2013 and 2023.

Part 3 of 5

Dhillon sent a warning letter to Newsom and Bonta on June 24, 2026, giving the state until 5 p.m. on June 30 to either cease enforcement, acknowledge the laws as unconstitutional, and enter a consent decree, or face the lawsuit. Bonta's office rejected the demand in a two-page letter on June 30, and Dhillon filed the next morning.

Bonta's office told the San Francisco Chronicle that California's gun safety laws have helped drive firearm death rates to record lows and that the office would review the complaint and respond in court. Newsom's press office told Fox News Digital there is no Glock ban, arguing the law targets a dangerous design feature rather than a brand.

Part 4 of 5

The DOJ invokes 34 U.S.C. section 12601, the federal pattern-or-practice statute historically used against police departments accused of civil rights violations. By using that statute, the DOJ argues that California's enforcement of AB1127 and the Handgun Roster constitutes a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives persons of rights secured by the Constitution.

Dhillon, confirmed 52-45 by the Senate on April 3, 2025, created the DOJ Civil Rights Division's first Second Amendment Section in December 2025. The California complaint is one of at least five lawsuits the section filed against state and local gun regulations, including suits against AR-15 bans in Washington D.C. and Colorado, a carry permit delay case against the Los Angeles County Sheriff, and a concurrent July 1 suit against Virginia over its assault rifle ban.

Part 5 of 5

The DOJ's constitutional argument rests on District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which held that handguns are protected because Americans overwhelmingly choose them for self-defense, and on the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Wolford v. Lopez on June 25, 2026. In Wolford, the Court held that Hawaii's law prohibiting concealed carry on private property open to the public without express owner permission violated the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

The DOJ's complaint argues that Glock handguns are unquestionably in common use for lawful purposes and cannot be banned under Heller. The complaint cites ATF data showing that Glock manufactured 514,838 handguns for U.S. sale in 2021 alone, and analysts estimate Glock held nearly 65 percent of the U.S. handgun market as of 2020.

Why this matters

Todd Blanche and Harmeet Dhillon, acting on behalf of 335 million Americans, invoked the federal pattern-or-practice statute to challenge a California law covering the largest handgun market in the U.S., where over 900 handgun models remain available for purchase.

Jesse Gabriel and Catherine Stefani built AB1127 on ATF data showing a 570 percent increase in recovered Glock switches between 2017 and 2021, giving California the only law in the nation that attacks the supply chain for machine gun conversions rather than the conversion device itself.

Rob Bonta and the California Department of Justice will defend both laws in a federal court system where the Supreme Court has ruled for gun rights in Heller (2008), McDonald (2010), Bruen (2022), and Wolford (2026), and any district court ruling can be appealed through the Ninth Circuit to the same Court.

The outcome in United States v. California (8:2026-cv-1697) will set precedent for whether Maryland and other states can keep similar Glock-style bans, or whether federal courts will strike them all down.

SourcesDepartment of Justice Civil Rights Division·Complaint: United States v. California and Robert Bonta…Jul 1, 2026DOJ Office of Public Affairs·Justice Department Sues California to Halt Glock BanJul 1, 2026CalMatters Digital Democracy·AB 1127: Firearms: Converter PistolsOct 10, 2025everytown.org·Everytown: Historic Victory for Gun Safety, October 10,…civilrights.org·Leadership Conference on Civil Rights: Why Harmeet Dhil…penncapital-star.com·Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Senate confirms Dhillon for…everytown.org·Everytown: Prohibit Auto Sears, Bump Stocks, and Other…thetrace.org·The Trace: ATF Director Urges Action On Machine Gun Con…