Glock wins temporary block on Connecticut’s ‘convertible pistol’ ban

The state sought to stop the sale of handguns that can be simply converted to automatic weapons with the addition of a “switch.”(CN) — A federal judge has iced Connecticut’s ban on Glock-style semiautomatic pistols that, the state says, are easily modified to enable fully automatic fire.In a 12-page ruling, filed Wednesday night in Connecticut federal court, U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley sided with Glock and several gun groups in finding the state’s ban likely violates the Second Amendment.The order came down just hours before the ban was set to take effect on Thursday. Under the state law, it would have been a felony to sell or own cruciform-trigger handguns — pistols with a cross-shaped trigger bar that moves back and down to release the firing pin when the trigger is pulled.Connecticut targeted the “convertible pistols” because their design can be modified with attachments, known as switches, to enable fully automatic fire. But that’s not enough of a reason to ban the class of handguns entirely, according to Dooley.“Here, there is no dispute that handguns with a cruciform trigger bar (in an unconverted state) are not only safe, but extremely popular for purposes of self-defense, and their possession and carry rights are protected by the Second Amendment,” the Donald Trump appointee found.She added it isn’t Glock’s fault that third parties choose to add switches — which are illegal under the federal ban on machine guns — to their weapons. The state, she ruled, ultimately failed to prove that the popular handguns, without the attachment, are dangerous at the point of sale.“Each of the proving laws discussed were designed to ensure safety before the firearm enters the stream of commerce,” Dooley wrote. “They were not designed to, and indeed could not, forestall future misuse of the firearm (even if predictable) after it enters the stream of commerce.”Glock sued last month to challenge the ban, arguing that cruciform-trigger handguns are less likely to accidentally fire than comparable weapons. The safety of their design has fueled their popularity — hundreds of thousands are produced in the U.S. each year, and are even utilized by Connecticut state troopers.Before this year, Glock argued no semiautomatic firearms had been banned because of their ability to be converted into fully automatic weapons using devices like switches. New York, Maryland and California have enacted similar bans over the past year, however.The company also claims state officials haven’t clearly disclosed whether certain models are subject to the ban.The National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc., a trade association for the firearm, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, filed a parallel lawsuit on the same day. It called the law a slippery slope from a Second Amendment perspective.“If Connecticut can ban cruciform-trigger handguns because of the risk that criminals can convert them into fully automatic machine guns, then it could ban ‘virtually any semiautomatic weapon’ for the same reason,” warned the organization, which sued alongside gunmaker Shadow Systems LLC and retailer Blue Trail Range Corporation.Both cases have since been consolidated; Dooley’s preliminary injunction ruling applies to each.“This is the correct decision to put a hold on this law while the court can hear arguments exposing the constitutional flaws that grossly trample on the fundamental rights of law-abiding citizens,” Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the shooting sports organization, said in a statement following the ruling. “Connecticut’s gun control politicians believe there are no bounds when it comes to infringing on the Second Amendment. The reality is this: The Second Amendment is not a second-class right.”Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said the state “does not agree with the court and will continue to defend the law.”Glock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.The scrutinized ban was signed into law on June 5 by the state’s Democratic Governor Ned Lamont, and has been championed by groups like Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization formed in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads