What's happening
This bill criminalizes the manufacture, sale, and transport of "convertible pistols" and "pistol converters," with exceptions for law enforcement and the military.
Why it matters
Expands the definition of “machine-gun”. to include semi-automatic pistols that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons with a “pistol converter”—targeting a specific method criminals use to create illegal machine-guns from otherwise legal handguns.
Creates new felony offenses. for manufacturing, selling, or shipping “convertible pistols” and “pistol converters,” raising the legal risks for anyone dealing in these items and aiming to cut off supply before they reach the street.
Establishes a clear technical definition. of “convertible pistol,” focusing on pistols with a “cruciform trigger bar” that can be altered using common household tools, and specifies what does or does not exempt a pistol from this category—helping law enforcement and courts enforce the law and avoid loopholes.
Requires the State Police to publish and update a list. of pistols classified as “convertible,” giving gun owners, dealers, and law enforcement clearer guidance on which models are banned, while also providing a mechanism for periodic review as gun designs evolve.
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Who cares
Firearms dealers and distributors
The bill would make disposing of convertible pistols or transporting or shipping them as merchandise a class D felony, with exceptions for transfers to specified recipients, including licensed dealers and gunsmiths.
Pistol converter manufacturers and shippers
Manufacturing, transporting or shipping devices meeting the bill’s revised pistol converter definition would be a class D felony.
New York State Police
The superintendent would have to publish a list of convertible pistols before the bill takes effect and annually thereafter, and could issue implementing rules.
Police officers, peace officers and military personnel
The bill would exempt transfers of convertible pistols to these recipients from its new felony restriction, subject to the stated conditions for military personnel.
Headline styles
Ban Convertible Pistols
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
28 Co-sponsors
- Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
- Jamaal Bailey
- Erik Bottcher
- Samra Brouk
- Siela Bynoe
- Cordell Cleare
- Leroy Comrie
- Jeremy Cooney
- Patricia Fahy
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Kristen Gonzalez
- Andrew Gounardes
- Pete Harckham
- Robert Jackson
- Brian Kavanagh
- John Liu
- Jack M. Martins
- Rachel May
- Shelley Mayer
- Roxanne J. Persaud
- Jessica Ramos
- Gustavo Rivera
- Julia Salazar
- James Sanders Jr.
- José M. Serrano
- Toby Ann Stavisky
- Lea Webb
- Jeremy Zellner
History
- Print number 399b
- Amend and recommit to codes
- Referred to codes
- Committed to rules
- Amended on third reading 399a
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1247
- Referred to codes
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Restrict Convertible Pistols, Converters
In Assembly Committee · Codes · Sponsor Michaelle C. Solages
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
399--B
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. MYRIE, ADDABBO, BAILEY, BOTTCHER, BROUK, BYNOE, CLEARE, COMRIE, COONEY, FAHY, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, GOUNARDES, HARCK- HAM, JACKSON, KAVANAGH, LIU, MARTINS, MAY, MAYER, PERSAUD, RAMOS, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SANDERS, SERRANO, STAVISKY, WEBB,… Show allHide
Introduced by Sens. MYRIE, ADDABBO, BAILEY, BOTTCHER, BROUK, BYNOE, CLEARE, COMRIE, COONEY, FAHY, FERNANDEZ, GONZALEZ, GOUNARDES, HARCK- HAM, JACKSON, KAVANAGH, LIU, MARTINS, MAY, MAYER, PERSAUD, RAMOS, RIVERA, SALAZAR, SANDERS, SERRANO, STAVISKY, WEBB, ZELLNER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading -- recommitted to the Committee on Codes in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to the regulation of pistol converters and convertible pistols
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 265.00 of the penal law is amended and a new subdivision 37 is added to read as follows:
1. "Machine-gun" means a weapon of any description, irrespective of size, by whatever name known, loaded or unloaded, from which a number of shots or bullets may be rapidly or automatically discharged from a magazine with one continuous pull of the trigger and includes a sub-machine gun, and also includes any convertible pistol that is equipped with a pistol converter.
37. "Convertible pistol" means any semi-automatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily altered by hand or with common household tools so that it can be converted into a machine-gun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter. As used in this subdivision, "cruciform trigger bar" means a component in a semi-automatic pistol that serves as a linkage between the trigger and firing pin and has its sear incorporated in a cross-shaped surface and "common house-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00308-05-6
hold tools" means screwdrivers, pipe wrenches, pliers, hacksaws, crowbars, electric drills or rotary tools, hammers, chisels, and crescent wrenches.
"Convertible pistol" does not include hammer-fired semi-automatic pistols. A tab or other piece of material on a pistol frame is not sufficient to prevent ready alteration so that the pistol can be converted into a machine-gun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter and will not prevent such pistol from qualifying as a "convertible pistol" under this subdivision if that tab or other piece of material can be readily removed with common household tools.
§ 2. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 265.10 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 481 of the laws of 2024, are amended and a new subdivision 10 is added to read as follows:
1. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any machine-gun, pistol converter, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun is guilty of a class D felony. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, throwing star, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
2. Any person who transports or ships any machine-gun, pistol converter, firearm silencer, assault weapon or large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun, or who transports or ships as merchandise five or more firearms, is guilty of a class D felony. Any person who transports or ships any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony. Any person who transports or ships as merchandise any firearm, other than an assault weapon, switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, throwing star, chuka stick, sandbag or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
10. Any person, dealer, firm, partnership, or corporation who disposes of or who transports or ships as merchandise a convertible pistol is guilty of a class D felony.
§ 3. Section 265.20 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdivision f to read as follows:
f. Subdivision ten of section 265.10 of this article shall not apply to the disposition of a convertible pistol to, nor to the transport or shipping as merchandise of a convertible pistol for disposition to the following:
1. Persons in the military service of the state of New York when duly authorized by regulations issued by the adjutant general to possess the same.
2. Police officers as defined in subdivision thirty-four of section 1.20 of the criminal procedure law.
3. Peace officers as defined by section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law.
4. Persons in the military or other service of the United States, in pursuit of official duty or when duly authorized by federal law, regulation or order to possess the same.
5. Persons employed in fulfilling defense contracts with the government of the United States or agencies thereof when possession of the same is necessary for manufacture, transport, installation and testing under the requirements of such contract.
6. Persons engaging in the business of gunsmith or dealer in firearms to whom a valid license therefor has been issued pursuant to section 400.00 of this chapter.
§ 4. Subdivision 36 of section 265.00 of the penal law, as added by chapter 429 of the laws of 2024, is amended to read as follows:
36. "Pistol converter" means any device or instrument that when installed in or attached to the rear of the slide of a semi-automatic pistol, replaces the backplate, and interferes with the trigger mechanism and thereby enables the pistol to discharge a number of shots or bullets rapidly or automatically with one continuous pull of the trigger.
§ 5. The superintendent of the division of state police is authorized to promulgate rules, regulations, and policies necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act. Such superintendent shall, prior to the effective date of this act and annually thereafter, publish a list of pistols that the superintendent has determined to be convertible pistols, as defined in section 265.00 of the penal law.
§ 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to the regulation of pistol converters and convertible pistols
Summary
Section 1 amends subdivision I of section 265.00 of the penal law, which defines "Machine-gun" and adds subdivision 37 to that section to define the following terms: "Pistol converter", "Convertible pistol", "cruci- form trigger bar", and "common household tools".
Section 2 amends subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 265.10 of the penal law as separately amended by chapters 34, 130, and 146 of the laws of 2019, which state the various criminal charges for manufacturing and transpor- tation of respective illegal weapons and components, to include pistol converters and adds a new subdivision 10 which states criminal charges for disposing of transporting or shipping as merchandise a convertible pistol.
Read the full memo (1,036 words)
Section 3 amends subdivision ten of section 265.10 of the penal law, which lists applicable exemptions to weapons offenses, by adding a new subdivision f, which states the specified parties to whom a person, dealer, firm, partnership, or corporation may legally dispose of a convertible pistol, despite the prohibition created in Section 3, such as persons in military service at both federal and state levels, police officers, peace officers, government defense contractors fulfilling their agreements, and licensed gunsmiths and dealers in firearms.
Section 4 amends Subdivision 36 of Section 265 of the Penal Law, which defines the term "Pistol Converter".
Section 5 Authorizes the superintendent of the Division of state police to promulgate rules and regulations according to this legislation.
Section 6 provides for the effective date.
Justification
Pistol converters, a type of auto-sear commonly known as a "Glock Switch," pose a rising significant threat to public safety because they can be and increasingly have been used to quickly and easily convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic machine guns, bypass current prohibitions against the manufacture, sale, and possession of machine guns in the state of New York and on a Federal level. These pistol converters are known as "Glock Switches" because the design of Glock pistols and other pistols that replicate those designs - makes them uniquely susceptible to this type of illegal conversion. Because of their small size and simple design, pistol converters are often obtained illegally through overseas channels and can also be manufactured through the use of 3D printing. These pistol converters and a screwdriver are all a person needs to transform single-fire, semi-automatic pistols into illegal, fully automatic weapons, dramatically increasing their lethali- ty and enabling them to fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger, at rates of up to 1,200 rounds per minute. The current gun violence crisis facing the nation has worsened as the illegal manufac- ture, sale, and possession of pistol converters and easy conver sion of convertible pistols into machine guns have become more frequent. The ATF recently announced in January 2024 that they have recovered more than 31,000 machine gun conversion devices, including Glock switches, over the past five years - a drastic increase compared to previous time peri- ods. Numerous violent crimes have been perpetrated with illegally modi- fied handguns equipped with pistol converters, with notable occurrences in a mass shooting in Sacramento that killed 6 people and injured 12 others where one of the gunmen involved converted a pistol with the use of a pistol converter (2022).
Within the State of New York, these "Glock switches" have been uncovered in multiple police investigations in areas such as Poughkeepsie, Suffolk County, Syracuse, Buffalo, Troy, Brooklyn, Tuckahoe, and Queens. This includes a horrific 2022 incident where a man shot and killed a father visiting his son at Marist College in the lobby of a hotel in an unpro- voked attack using a Glock pistol equipped with a switch. As the market for these illegal devices grows, so do the public safety concerns as these illegal devices place communities at risk of heightened gun violence. Despite this rising danger-and despite knowing that the design of its pistols makes these easy conversions possible-manufacturers of convertible pistols have taken no action to fix this problem and prevent the easy conversion of their pistols into machine guns.
This bill will hold firearm companies that produce convertible pistols accountable for their failure to address this problem and the dangers it poses to New York State. It is intended to incentivize them to take steps to update their design to prevent the continued misuse of their products. By restricting sales of convertible pistols in New York, the bill will create a financial incentive for these companies to change the designs of their products so they can no longer be easily converted into a machine gun simply by the installation of a pistol converter.
The bill would not place any new restrictions on convertible pistols that have previously been sold in New York or those currently lawfully possessed by New Yorkers. These pistols would remain lawful to possess and carry throughout the state by those licensed to do so. Only future sales and transfers of convertible pistols would be prohibited, subject to the numerous exceptions in the bill. Only companies that manufacture and sell convertible pistols-namely Glock and makers of copycat weapons that duplicate the designs that make Glock pistols uniquely susceptible to easy conversion into machine guns--would be impacted by the new prohibition. Other than Glock and those who duplicate its designs, no other major manufacturer produces semi-automatic pistols that can be converted into machine guns solely by the installation of a pistol converter.
If makers of convertible pistols adapt their designs to ensure they cannot be converted into machine guns simply by installing a pistol converter, they will no longer be subject to the sale prohibition.
Regardless of when and whether makers of convertible pistols update their designs, all other major manufacturers' semi-automatic pistols will remain legal to sell in New York.
Finally, the bill will update the definition of 'machine-gun' to ensure that any convertible pistol, when equipped with a pistol converter, is a machine gun under state law.
Social justice impact
TBD.
Legislative history
2024: A10194; referred to codes.
Fiscal implications
TBD
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one-hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.