Why It Matters: The Second Amendment and sportsmen’s issues are often very much intertwined. All types of firearms are in commonplace usage for hunting and recreational shooting sports; thus, anti-firearms legislation is often a trojan horse attack on our sporting heritage. Additionally, the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) relies on revenue from firearms and ammunition sales through the Pittman-Robertson excise tax, so nearly all anti-gun legislation hurts conservation funding.
Highlights:
- Last session, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill 1127 (AB 1127), which the Governor signed into law in early October.
- This bill reclassifies many types of striker-fired handguns as “machinegun-convertible pistols”, thus outlawing their sale due to existing state law, on the basis that they can be illegally modified to be fully automatic.
- CSF continues to strengthen the bipartisan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, providing a forum for lawmakers to engage on complex firearm and sportsmen’s policy matters.
Colloquially known as the “Glock Ban” bill, CA AB 1127 is set to take effect July 1, 2026. This bill specifically targets Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL’s) dealers by banning the transfer of any “machinegun-convertible pistol,” and punishing any FFL who engages in this with fines and potential revocation of their Federal Firearms License. In recent years, California has passed a myriad of anti-firearms legislation while remaining one of the largest firearm markets in the country. Recognizing this, it is important to understand the full breadth of consequences associated with firearm legislation, not the least of which is the impacts that such legislation can have on conservation funding through the American System of Conservation Funding. A key pillar of the ASCF is the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson Act), which is a self-imposed, manufacturer-level excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and hunting equipment, with revenues earmarked for wildlife conservation, recreational shooting sports, and R3 purposes. Whenever laws prohibit or add bureaucratic friction to the sale of firearms, such as CA AB 1127 (especially in a state with such a large population and sporting heritage like California), they drive a wedge in conservation funding mechanisms.
In addition to the conservation funding challenges associated with AB 1127, this law sets a dangerous precedent for banning other sporting goods. The bill language outlines that pistols “readily converted by hand or with common household tools” are now classified as machinegun convertible-pistols, but this is extremely broad and subjective. In the case of CA AB 1127, these pistol modifications are already illegal, both under California and federal law, so this law is in many ways redundant and results only in the villainization and restriction of law-abiding sportsmen and women.
Firearm laws can be extremely complicated, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) recognizes this. This is why CSF works so hard to have a robust, bipartisan Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in California, and every other state. CSF’s goal for the Sportsmen’s Caucus continues to be that it is a place for legislators and partners across the political spectrum to come together to discuss, learn about, and work through sportsmen-related policy items, including those impacting firearms.
