Firearms: converter pistols.

The effective date for the dealer prohibition on selling semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols (Penal Code Section 27595(a)) was changed from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026, giving dealers an additional six months before the ban takes effect.

The bill text was reformatted from a formal chaptered document (with page numbers like '91', section headers, and 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' header) into a web page layout that includes navigation elements, a search box, a version history sidebar, and a publication date of 10/13/2025. No substantive policy language was added, removed, or altered.

The effective date for the prohibition on licensed firearms dealers selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring, or delivering semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols was changed from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2026, giving dealers an additional six months to comply.

New Section 32103 of the Penal Code allows a pistol that was on the safe handgun roster on January 1, 2026 and was not subject to chamber load indicator or magazine disconnect requirements (because it was submitted for testing before certain dates) to be re-tested and added back to the roster without meeting those requirements, provided it was only modified to change design features bringing it within the machinegun-convertible pistol definition and is submitted for testing before January 1, 2027.

New Section 1.5 incorporates amendments to Civil Code Section 3273.50 proposed by AB 1263, which would expand the definition of 'firearm accessory' to include devices that increase rate of fire, increase reload speed, or render a firearm an assault weapon, and expand 'firearm manufacturing machine' to include CNC milling machines and similar machines marketed for producing firearms, components, or accessories. This section only becomes operative if both AB 1127 and AB 1263 are enacted by January 1, 2026 and AB 1127 is enacted last.

Section 27595.1 was modified to remove the provision stating that regulations adopted by the Department of Justice to implement Section 27595 are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act. The section now simply authorizes DOJ to adopt implementing regulations without specifying an APA exemption.

Section 27595(c)(2) expands the exemption for sales of machinegun-convertible pistols to government entities. Previously it listed specific law enforcement and correctional agencies plus the military. The new version restructures this into sub-items (A), (B), and (C), adding a new category: any state agency listed in paragraph (6) or paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 32000. This broadens which government bodies can lawfully purchase these pistols.

Section 27595(a) corrects a cross-reference error: the old text cited 'Section 16415. 16885' but the new text correctly cites only 'Section 16885,' which is where machinegun-convertible pistols are actually defined.

Section 16885(b) repairs garbled grammar from a prior amendment. The old text read 'lacking a cruciform trigger bars, bar, which instead have has a trigger bars bar that are is shielded' and the new version corrects this to 'lacking a cruciform trigger bar, which instead has a trigger bar that is shielded.'

Section 16885(a) removes a redundant regulatory citation. The old text said 'as defined in 11 C.C.R 4082, Section 4082 of Title 11 of the California Code of Regulations' and the new version simplifies this to 'as defined in Section 4082 of Title 11 of the California Code of Regulations.'

Sections 27595(c)(6) and (c)(7) remove the redundant word 'firearm' that appeared before 'machinegun-convertible pistol,' cleaning up language like 'a firearm machinegun-convertible pistol' to simply 'a machinegun-convertible pistol.'

New exemption (9) added to Section 27595(c): licensed firearms dealers may sell machinegun-convertible pistols to active peace officers (Section 830.1) or reserve peace officers (Section 830.6) employed or appointed by a law enforcement agency described in Section 830.1 who are authorized to carry a firearm on duty.

Assembly Member Hart added to the Assembly coauthors list, and Senators Arreguin, Blakespear, and Limon added as Senate coauthors.

Typo corrected: 'to a any of the following' changed to 'to any of the following.'

Amendment date updated from July 3, 2025 to August 29, 2025, with the prior date retained as a secondary amendment entry.

The core definition is narrowed from any semiautomatic pistol convertible by a pistol converter to only those with a cruciform trigger bar that can be converted by hand or common household tools (as defined in 11 C.C.R. 4082) solely by replacing the slide backplate, without additional engineering or machining of the trigger mechanism.

New Section 16885(b) explicitly excludes hammer-fired pistols and striker-fired pistols lacking cruciform trigger bars (those with trigger bars shielded from converter interference).

New Section 16885(c) clarifies that a polymer notch or molded polymer piece at the rear of the frame does not prevent a pistol from qualifying as machinegun-convertible.

The 'pistol converter' definition is refined to specify installation at the rear of the slide, replacement of the backplate, and adds the phrase 'shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger.'

New Section 27595.1 authorizes the Department of Justice to adopt implementing regulations and exempts those regulations from the Administrative Procedure Act.

A severability clause (Section 7) is added, stating that if any provision is declared unconstitutional or unenforceable, the remaining portions remain in effect.

Second-violation penalties are enhanced to include suspension (not just revocation) of the dealer license and removal from centralized DOJ lists under Sections 26715, 28450, and 29060. Third-violation penalties also now include removal from those lists.

Five new exemptions are added to Section 27595(c): transfers to gunsmiths for service or repair; sales to out-of-state licensed dealers or manufacturers; return of firearms after temporary safekeeping storage (Section 26892); return after a temporary prohibition period (Section 29830); and transfers to forensic laboratories or their employees on duty.

The prior Section 1, which stated the Legislature's intent to enact legislation regarding semi-automatic firearms convertible by a converter attachment, is removed entirely.

Fiscal committee and state-mandated local program designations are both changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now triggers fiscal review and local program cost considerations.

The separate definition of 'convertible pistol' in former Section 16415 is eliminated. The bill now relies solely on the 'machinegun-convertible pistol' definition in Section 16885, simplifying the statutory scheme.

The definition of 'machinegun-convertible pistol' in Section 16885 is clarified to specify that conversion occurs by installation of a pistol converter 'as a replacement for the slide's backplate without any additional engineering, machining, or modification of the pistol's trigger mechanism,' making the scope more precise.

The definition of 'pistol converter' in Section 17015 is updated to explicitly include converters manufactured using a three-dimensional printer, closing a potential loophole for 3D-printed conversion devices.

The good-faith certification safe harbor is removed. Previously, a dealer would be in compliance if it relied in good faith on a written certification from the pistol's manufacturer or the Department of Justice that the pistol was not a convertible pistol. This protection no longer exists.

The inventory exemption in Section 27595(c)(1) is narrowed. It previously covered pistols 'manufactured or delivered to a firearms dealer prior to January 1, 2026.' The Senate version covers only pistols 'delivered to a firearms dealer prior to January 1, 2026,' removing the word 'manufactured' and potentially excluding some inventory that was manufactured but not yet delivered before the effective date.

The government purchase exemption in Section 27595(c)(2) now includes 'probation department' alongside police departments, sheriff's offices, and other law enforcement entities, expanding which state agencies can legally acquire these pistols for official duties.

The bill went from a purely declarative statement of legislative intent to containing six operative sections amending the Civil Code and Penal Code with actual regulatory and criminal provisions.

New definition of 'convertible pistol' (Penal Code 16415): any semiautomatic pistol that can be converted into a machinegun solely by installing or attaching a pistol converter.

New definition of 'pistol converter' (Penal Code 17015): any device that when installed in or attached to the slide of a semiautomatic pistol interferes with the trigger mechanism and enables rapid or automatic discharge with one continuous pull of the trigger.

The existing 'machinegun' definition (Penal Code 16880) was expanded with new subdivision (d) to include any convertible pistol equipped with a pistol converter, making manufacture, sale, possession, or transportation of such a combination a felony under existing machinegun laws.

New Civil Code Section 3273.50 adds definitions for 'firearm accessory,' 'firearm-related product,' 'firearm industry member,' 'firearm manufacturing machine,' and 'reasonable controls' (which includes preventing installation and use of pistol converters).

New Penal Code Section 27595 prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring, or delivering any semiautomatic convertible pistol starting January 1, 2026. Dealers may rely in good faith on written certification from the manufacturer or Department of Justice that a pistol is not convertible.

Tiered penalty structure for dealer violations: first violation carries a fine up to $1,000; second violation carries a fine up to $5,000 and possible license revocation; third violation is a misdemeanor with mandatory license revocation.

Exemptions from the dealer sales ban include: convertible pistols manufactured or delivered to a dealer before January 1, 2026; sales to law enforcement agencies, military, or state departments for official duties; and private party-to-party transactions conducted through a licensed firearms dealer.

Fiscal committee impact changed from 'no' to 'yes' and state-mandated local program changed from 'no' to 'yes' because the bill now creates a new crime, triggering reimbursement provisions under Article XIII B of the California Constitution.