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San Diego City Council backs bill to ban DIY machine‑gun conversion devices
Summary
The council unanimously adopted a resolution urging support for California Assembly Bill AB 1127, aimed at banning pistol converters (so‑called 'Glock switches') and certain convertible pistols; advocates and councilmembers cited law‑enforcement recoveries and past shootings as justification.
The San Diego City Council on July 15 adopted a resolution supporting California Assembly Bill AB 1127, which would prohibit the sale of pistol converters and semiautomatic pistols that can be readily converted into fully automatic firearms. Councilmember Whitburn introduced the resolution and moved its adoption; Councilmember Ilo Rivera seconded. The council recorded a unanimous vote in favor with Councilmember Von Wilpert absent.
City staff (Ryan Darcy) summarized the bill’s provisions and law enforcement concerns, describing conversion devices that can convert a pistol into an illegal automatic weapon and noting past incidents where such devices were recovered in criminal investigations. Darcy said some conversion devices can enable rates of fire similar to machine guns and emphasized public‑safety risks.
Advocates from Moms Demand Action, Everytown and San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention — including Laurie Van Orden, Nikki Fatic and Casey Zahner — urged the council to send a strong signal to Sacramento in support of AB 1127. They cited local recoveries of conversion devices and pointed to a 2022 Sacramento incident as evidence of the danger.
Councilmembers framed the resolution as a public‑safety measure. Councilmember Foster said the proposal was “common sense” and urged the council to show leadership. The resolution is a nonbinding policy signal to the legislature; it does not change local law nor require local enforcement actions beyond the city’s existing statutes.
