- Noah Marty
- Legislative/Communications Assistant
- Noah.Marty@asm.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1127, which will prohibit the sale in California of certain semi-automatic handguns that can be easily converted to automatic machine guns. Authored by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), AB 1127 will hold the firearm industry accountable for their deadly lack of action to address the growing proliferation of converted automatic weapons.
AB 1127 is a top priority for the national gun safety movement and groups like Moms Demand Action because it would help address a deadly design flaw that makes it possible to easily convert certain semi-automatic firearms to highly lethal machine guns with the use of a simple device known as a “switch”. The use of “switches” has skyrocketed in recent years, and guns equipped with them are quickly becoming a weapon of choice for criminals. These devices are cheap, can be made at home with a 3D printer, and can be installed in minutes with just a screwdriver.
What California Lawmakers Are Saying
“As parents and lawmakers, we refuse to stand idly by while our schools and communities are being threatened by illegal machine guns. This commonsense legislation will ensure that the gun industry is held accountable and that we are doing everything possible to protect our communities from mass shootings. I am proud that California is once again leading the nation with commonsense gun safety laws, and I am grateful to Governor Newsom, Assemblymember Stefani, Moms Demand Action, and the incredible survivors, volunteers, and advocates who made this victory possible.” - Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino)
“No gun sold in California should be just a screwdriver away from becoming a machine gun. With Governor Newsom’s signature on AB 1127, we are closing a deadly loophole that has fueled gun violence in our communities. California is sending a clear message: we will always put the safety of our families ahead of the gun industry’s bottom line.” - Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco)
What Leading Gun Violence Prevention Advocates are Saying
“We applaud Governor Newsom, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, and state lawmakers for putting California at the forefront of the fight against DIY machine guns, which are just as scary as they sound. It speaks volumes about the gun industry’s fixation on profits that only a new law can force it to take the most basic steps to prevent mass carnage.” - John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety
“Governor Newsom, Assemblymember Gabriel, state lawmakers, and California volunteers continue to prove that the days of putting gun industry profits over our lives are long gone. DIY machine guns should never have had a pathway onto our streets, and today, we’re taking a big step to get them out of our communities. Our movement will keep fighting to hold reckless gun manufacturers accountable — because they shouldn't get to profit off our tragedies.” - Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action
“My son Greg Najee Grimes was a good father, a loving son, and community leader in Sacramento whose life was ended by a pistol turned into a homemade machine gun. Today is a victory for him. The gun industry doesn’t get to write the rules in California. We thank Governor Gavin Newsom for putting people first and keeping Californians safe from gun violence.” - Deborah Grimes, Gun Violence Survivor and Moms Demand Action Volunteer
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.
AB 1127 will encourage gun manufacturers to finally 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.