In Maryland, the statute defines the term "machine gun convertible" pistol to effectively ban most Glock and Glock-style handguns on the market — firearms owned by millions of Americans for lawful purposes.Connecticut’s law follows the same playbook.
It bans the future manufacture, sale and importation of a wide range of commonly owned handguns while layering new restrictions on unfinished frames and receivers.New York has gone even further, making it a Class D felony to sell or transfer what it calls a "convertible pistol." The NRA has already filed suit in Maryland, atop our prior suit against California last October, and we are considering challenges in other jurisdictions. These measures have less to do with public safety than with implementing a broader strategy of restricting access to commonly owned firearms.DOJ SUES DENVER OVER BAN ON ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS’ AS CITY'S DEM MAYOR SAYS IT 'WILL NOT BE BULLIED'These laws are being promoted to the public as targeting "DIY machine guns." The branding, like the justification for these laws, collapses under even minimal scrutiny.
Converting a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm is already a serious federal offense, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and federal law also prohibits the manufacture, sale and possession of the conversion devices used to make that modification.On top of that, more than half the states in the country have already outlawed the conversion devices themselves.A machine gun conversion device for a Glock handgun can convert the firearm into a machine gun after the switch is installed.
(Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)Since converting a semiautomatic to full auto is already illegal three times over, the real question is why aren’t criminals deterred from using them? Quite simply: lack of enforcement.But rather than call for stronger enforcement of existing laws, activists instead have shifted the focus away from criminals and squa...