San Diego Police Department Announce Arrest of a Pacific Beach Man on Various Charges Including Transporting a Machine Gun and Possession of Assault Weapons Credit: San Diego Police Department
July 4, 2026 - SACRAMENTO, CA — Assembly Bill (AB) 1127 officially took effect on July 1, prohibiting the sale of certain semi-automatic handguns in California that can be easily converted to automatic machine guns. Authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), the law was immediately challenged by the Trump Administration's Department of Justice, which filed a lawsuit in federal court after days of threats and posturing from federal officials.
“California won’t back down in the face of threats from Donald Trump and the NRA,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), author of AB 1127. “As a parent and lawmaker, I refuse to stand idly by while our schools and communities are being threatened by illegal gun violence. California is proud to be a national leader in enacting commonsense gun safety laws, and we will defend these life-saving laws from those who prioritize gun industry profits over the safety of our communities.”
Background on AB 1127
Fully automatic machine guns are exceptionally lethal weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. Unfortunately, some semi-automatic firearms include a deadly design element that allows them to be easily converted into a fully automatic weapon with the use of a simple device known as a “switch”.
Law enforcement agencies across the country have reported an increase in recoveries of these parts and weapons equipped with them. The tragic shooting that occurred just blocks from the California State Capitol Building in 2022, which left six dead and a dozen wounded, involved one of these modified automatic weapons.
The legislation was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom in October of 2025, and encourages gun manufacturers to address this issue and prevent their guns from being easily converted into deadly automatic weapons by prohibiting the sale of any semi-automatic handgun in California that is easily convertible into a fully automatic machine gun. Since California passed the bill, other states including New York, Connecticut, and Maryland have passed similar legislation.
Following the signing of AB 1127, the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit to challenge the new law, but the lawsuit was later voluntarily dismissed.
Source: Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel
