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Harmeet Dhillon challenges California handgun sales restrictions
Dhillon wrote a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Attorney General Robert Bonta informing them of her office's decision to pursue a federal suit against the California order.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 25, Jun 2026
- 01:52 EDT
- 19
Harmeet K. Dhillon / Wikimedia commons
Indian American U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has threatened California with legal action over the state's decision to ban Glocks and other similar guns.
California recently placed a ban on new dealer sales of most Glocks and similar striker-fired pistols through Assembly Bill 1127, which takes effect on July 1, 2026.
The law prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling, transferring or offering semiautomatic "machinegun-convertible pistols" — a category that covers the vast majority of Glock models and clones due to their design that can be modified with aftermarket switches.
Additionally, handguns must be listed on the state's official Handgun Roster to be sold at retail. To qualify, models would require a chamber load indicator, magazine disconnect mechanism and microstamping capability.
Dhillon wrote a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Attorney General Robert Bonta informing them of her office's decision to pursue a federal suit against the California order.
Revealing the contents of the potentially upcoming lawsuit, Dhillon noted her lawsuit would allege that the new laws unconstitutionally criminalize the acquisition of protected firearms from licensed dealers. It will further allege that state law enforcement agencies' implementation of the prohibitions and their threats of criminal enforcement amount to a pattern or practice of law enforcement misconduct.
Dhillon said, "The Second Amendment guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms for self-defense. D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 625 (2008). Because handguns are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense, a prohibition of their use is invalid."
Tick tock! On July 1, CA plans to impose an unconstitutional “Glock Ban.”
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) June 24, 2026
Today, I notified @CAGovernor & @AGRobBonta to drop the unconstitutional restrictions on law-abiding citizens’ rights to purchase legal firearms before the ban goes into effect, or we will sue. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/xhGmRt4VPz
Dhillon also communicated her department's willingness to temporarily not file charges, provided California is willing to enter pre-suit negotiations.
However, she added that the negotiations require a minimum guarantee that the state will immediately cease enforcement of the said laws, acknowledge the unconstitutionality of these laws and agree to enter into a court-enforceable consent decree permanently enjoining the state from violating its citizens' constitutional rights through these or any similar laws.
The letter also notified that the letter stands as a "document retention notice," requiring all California officials, employees and contractors to immediately preserve in their current form all records — including documents, photos, videos, emails and computer files — relevant to the matter.
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