Firearms: converter pistols
Chaptered. Effective date is not on the official record yet.
Official status checked 2026-09-24 12:12 PT
Asm. Jesse Gabriel · Last amended 2025-09-09
Bill summary
Existing law prohibits any person from selling, leasing, or transferring any firearm unless the person is licensed as a firearms dealer, as specified.
Existing law prescribes certain requirements and prohibitions for licensed firearms dealers.
A violation of any of these requirements or prohibitions is grounds for forfeiture of a firearms dealer’s license.
For purposes of these provisions, existing law defines “machinegun” to mean, among other definitions, any weapon that shoots or is designed to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
The official digest continues on the official text.
Now vs if chaptered
NOW (as of 2026-08-26): chaptered and operative. Dealer sale ban is live (July 1, 2026). Machinegun definition includes a convertible pistol equipped with a converter. IF charged: distinguish converter-equipped (machinegun) from unmodified convertible pistol (not itself a machinegun under §16885/§16880(d)).
Defender utility
Split the charging theory. If the People charge machinegun possession, they must prove a converter was installed or possessed as a converting part — not merely that the pistol has a Glock-pattern cruciform trigger bar. If the case is a dealer-sale or DROS after July 1, 2026, the live hook is §27595 (fine / license hit; third violation is a misdemeanor), not civilian possession of an unmodified pistol. Do not collapse this card into existing machinegun or assault-weapon counts. Pair with switch / auto-sear charging notes and the unsafe-handgun roster retest path in §32103 (modified former-roster pistols submitted before Jan 1, 2027).
Who this is for. PDs with Glock-pattern / switch cases and dealers facing §27595 sale-ban hits — distinguish converter-equipped machinegun from bare convertible pistol.
Key dates
- Chaptered
- 2025-10-10
- Dealer sale ban live
- 2026-07-01
- Typical other provisions
- 2026-01-01
- Roster retest window closes
- 2027-01-01
Exemptions (draft)
Dealer-sale ban does not apply to pre-Jan 1, 2026 dealer inventory delivery; LE/military/state-agency sales; PPT through a licensed dealer; gunsmith repair; dealer-to-dealer or out-of-state FFL; temporary storage/prohibition return; forensic lab; specified on-duty peace officers. Convertible-pistol definition excludes hammer-fired or striker-fired pistols that lack a cruciform trigger bar and have a shielded trigger bar. Polymer notch at the rear of the frame does not defeat the definition.
Penalties (if chaptered)
Dealer §27595: 1st violation fine up to $1,000; 2nd up to $5,000 and possible license suspension/revocation; 3rd misdemeanor and mandatory license revocation. Converter-equipped pistol is charged under existing machinegun statutes (felony). Does not create a standalone civilian possessory crime for an unmodified convertible pistol.
Bank hints
- Motion Bank: machinegun / auto-sear / switch charging notes
- Motion Bank: unsafe-handgun roster / §32000
- Case Watch: Glock-pattern conversion devices