I urge you to vote no on AB 1127 and AB 1263. Though these bills claim to reduce violence, they overreach, threaten constitutional rights, and burden law abiding citizens far more than criminals.
AB 1127 attempts to prohibit “machinegun convertible pistols” by using broad and vague definitions. In practice, many common semiautomatic handguns, including popular models like Glocks, could be swept into the ban even if they cannot be practically converted. This punishes design rather than conduct. Laws that are so vague violate due process protections under the Fourteenth Amendment.
AB 1263 is even more troubling. It imposes liability on accessory makers, CNC and 3D printer owners, and expands regulation to digital code. Criminalizing the sharing of design files strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has consistently affirmed that free speech extends to digital expression, as in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association.
Both bills conflict with the Second Amendment as interpreted in District of Columbia v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The Court has made clear that laws burdening common firearms or accessories must be consistent with our historical tradition. These proposals have no such historical grounding.
The practical effect will be to stifle innovation, trap ordinary citizens in confusing laws, and do little to deter criminals who obtain weapons on the black market. Meanwhile, vulnerable citizens, like my widowed neighbors who live alone and are under five feet tall, depend on their constitutional right to self defense. These bills erode that right and set dangerous precedents.
Regulations should be clear, narrowly tailored, and respectful of constitutional guardrails. AB 1127 and AB 1263 fail that test. I strongly urge you to oppose them.
