Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gun Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly hears AB 1127 to bar sale of semiautomatic handguns designed for easy conversion to automatic fire
Summary
AB 1127 would ban semiautomatic handguns whose design makes them easily convertible to automatic fire; sponsors said the change targets a narrow design problem used in recent mass shootings while opponents argued such bans risk constitutional challenges and that nearly any semiautomatic pistol could be modified.
Assemblymember Gabriel presented AB 1127, aimed at preventing semiautomatic handguns that can be readily converted to fully automatic fire from being manufactured or sold in California.
"Automatic weapons are exceptionally lethal," Gabriel said. "Some semiautomatic firearms feature a dangerous design element allowing them to be converted to automatic weapons through the attachment of an easy-to-use device known as a switch. AB 1127 will prohibit the sale of semiautomatic handguns that feature these specific design elements."
Support came from the attorney general's office and gun-safety groups such as Moms Demand Action, Giffords and Everytown. Shelley Hudson, a retired forensic investigator, recounted experience at mass-shooting crime scenes and urged passage: "Right now, it's legal to buy pistols that anyone can easily convert into machine guns. ... We can stop do-it-yourself machine guns and keep our communities safe."
Opponents, including gun-rights organizations, said the bill would ban commonly owned pistol models because the standard proposed focuses on potential for conversion rather than how the firearm functions out of the box. They argued the proposal could be constitutionally vulnerable under recent Supreme Court precedents that protect arms in common use. "You could make the same argument about dozens of handgun models," said an opposition witness representing firearms organizations.
Senators expressed sympathy for gun-violence survivors and acknowledged complex Second Amendment questions; the bill will proceed to further committee consideration. No formal committee vote was taken at the hearing because a quorum was not present.
