Everytown Responds as DOJ Sues to Block California’s Life-Saving Law That Would Stop the Spread of DIY Machine Guns

California’s First-In-The-Nation Law, Set to Go Into Effect Today, Would Halt Sale Of Pistols Easily Converted Into Fully Automatic Weapons

CALIFORNIA – Everytown for Gun Safety issued the following statement today in response to a dangerous and deeply misguided lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against AB 1127. California’s life-saving legislation – which is set to take effect today – prohibits gun dealers from selling firearms that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons through the simple installation of a machine gun conversion device, which enables the pistols to fire at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute. AB 1127 was supported by a broad coalition of advocates and legislative leaders, including Attorney General Bonta who served as a champion for the bill’s passage.

“Make no mistake: More Californians will die if the Trump Administration succeeds and DIY machine guns continue flowing onto our streets,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everytown will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with California to defend this life-saving law.”

This year marks four years since a converted pistol, turned into a DIY machine gun, was used in a Sacramento shooting that left six people dead and twelve others injured. Police recovered more than 110 shell casings at the scene.

Machine guns are prohibited under California state law. But because the gun industry has chosen to put profits over public safety, firearms that can be easily and illegally converted into machine guns are readily available. AB 1127 blocks the retail sale of weapons that can be easily modified into DIY machine guns in an effort to prevent these deadly weapons from continuing to flood our streets. 

The recently-enacted law will have an important impact on public safety. And, significantly, the majority of pistols available for sale in California, including by some of the largest manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Taurus, and others don’t have this problem and will continue to be sold across the state. If the manufacturers impacted by the bill decide to fix the dangerous design that allows their guns to be easily converted into machine guns, they can resume selling in California as long as they comply with other existing state laws. The law exempts future sales to law enforcement and the military for use in official duties. 

More information about the gun safety laws championed by Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers in California is available here. Statistics about gun violence in California are available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator – which shows how California’s gun laws compare to those of other states – is available here.