On May 26, 2026, the governors of Maryland and Connecticut signed parallel pieces of legislation aimed at prohibiting the sales of “machine gun convertible pistols” — semiautomatic handguns that can be unlawfully converted to machine guns by a criminal through the installation of devices commonly known as “switches” or “auto sears.” Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) signed Senate Bill 334 (enrolled as Chapter 771), and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) signed Substitute House Bill 5043.

The two bills approach the same issue – criminal conversions of semiautomatic handguns – from slightly different angles, but both share a common target: the design of certain striker-fired pistols, most notably Glock-style handguns, whose cruciform trigger bars can be manipulated by an externally attached converter to enable automatic fire.  Below is a brief summary of each piece of legislation.

The Targeted Issue: “Glock Switches” and DIY Machine Guns

The Federal government has prohibited the manufacture and import of new machine guns for the civilian market since 1986 and conversion devices like Glock switches and auto sears have long been classified as machine guns themselves under Federal law. Even so, law enforcement agencies have reported a sharp uptick in seizures of converted pistols at crime scenes. The Maryland and Connecticut laws attempt to address the issue not by adding penalties for the already-illegal switches and conversion activity, but by banning the underlying firearm designs that make conversion relatively easy.

Maryland Senate Bill 334

Maryland’s SB 334 amends Title 4 of the Criminal Law Article, adding a new definition at Section 4-301 for a “machine gun convertible pistol” and folding “pistol converters” into the existing definition of a “rapid fire activator” under that same section, placing them in the same statutory category as bump stocks, binary triggers, trigger cranks, and auto sears.

A “machine gun convertible pistol,” is defined as any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar — a cross-shaped component that links the trigger to the firing pin — that can be converted into a machine gun by attaching a pistol converter to the rear of the slide using only a “common household tool.” The statute also defines that term to identify several common tools. The Maryland Department of State Police is directed to adopt regulations and publish a list of specifically prohibited models before the operative provisions take effect.

MD SB 334 Effective Date

The Act itself takes effect on October 1, 2026, but the substantive ban on commercial activity does not begin until January 1, 2027. On and after that date, a person may not manufacture, sell, offer for sale, purchase, receive, or transfer a machine gun convertible pistol in Maryland. Importantly, the statute does not criminalize mere continued possession of a covered pistol that was lawfully owned before January 1, 2027 in the same manner as it criminalizes future acquisition or transfer — current owners are not required to surrender their firearms.

Exemptions

SB 334 extends the existing exemptions in Maryland Criminal Law Section 4-302 to the new category and adds several specific exemptions to convertible pistols. Principal carve-outs include (but are not limited to):

• Transfers to an immediate family member from someone who lawfully obtained the pistol.
• Active law enforcement officers and military personnel acting within the scope of official duties.
• Retired law enforcement officers in good standing who possess a valid credential under 18 U.S.C. § 926C.
• Licensed firearms dealers and manufacturers servicing, selling, or transferring covered pistols to law enforcement or to out-of-state buyers.
• Inheritance, where the decedent lawfully possessed the firearm and the heir is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm.
• Personal representatives of an estate exercising their official duties.
• Temporary gratuitous exchanges (such as briefly letting another person use the firearm).
• Temporary servicing by licensed dealers or gunsmiths.

Penalties

A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to $5,000. Because pistol converters are now included within the “rapid fire activator” definition, the penalty enhancements that already apply to those devices also reach pistol converters going forward.

Connecticut Substitute House Bill 5043

Connecticut’s HB 5043, full title reading — “An Act Concerning Convertible Pistols, Unfinished Frames or Unfinished Lower Receivers, Voluntary Relinquishment of Firearms and Ammunition, and Refundability of Permits for Sale at Retail of Firearms and for Carrying of Pistols and Revolvers” — shows that it covers several firearms topics. The convertible-pistol definitions are found in Section 1, which amends Connecticut General Statutes Section 53-202, the state’s existing machine gun definition.

The bill expands the statutory definition of “machine gun” to include any convertible pistol equipped with a pistol converter. A “convertible pistol” is defined as any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily altered by hand or with a common household tool to accept a pistol converter — a device that attaches to the rear of the slide to allow rapid or automatic firing with a single trigger function. The bill also clarifies the state’s “rate of fire enhancement” definition to expressly cover pistol converters.

Section 3 of the bill creates a new yet-to-be-numbered statute which prohibits the importation, advertisement, sale, or offer for sale of any convertible pistol. 

Effective Dates

The convertible-pistol provisions take effect on October 1, 2026. Interestingly enough, the prohibition applies to convertible pistols manufactured on or after October 1, 2026. The forward-looking date of manufacture is important: pistols built before that date are not subject to the new commercial ban.  Federal Firearms Licensees are thus encouraged to maintain very accurate records of Acquisition and Disposition of such pistols to demonstrate that they were acquired prior to that date.  Additionally, for pistols meeting that definition acquired after that date FFLs are encouraged to determine their date of manufacture.

Exemptions

The Connecticut law contains two notable categories of exemption built directly into the definition of “convertible pistol”:

• Hammer-fired semiautomatic pistols are excluded entirely. The law is aimed at striker-fired designs.
• Pistols equipped with a tab or other piece of material that shields the cruciform trigger bar from interference by a pistol converter — so that the pistol cannot readily be converted by installing or attaching a switch — are also outside the definition. Manufacturers that redesign their pistols with such a shielding feature can continue to sell them in Connecticut.

A separate, important exception applies to private transfers between non-dealers. The bill specifically does not apply its prohibition to the retail sale or other lawful transfer of a convertible pistol by a person who is not a licensed gun dealer to another non-dealer. In other words, existing owners may continue to sell or transfer their covered pistols privately, subject to Connecticut’s other applicable firearm-transfer rules and background-check requirements.

Penalties

A violation of the convertible-pistol provision is a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Class D felony classification also carries collateral consequences common to Connecticut felony convictions, including potential loss of firearm rights and a permanent felony record.

What Comes Next

Maryland State Police are now responsible for drafting regulations and publishing a list of prohibited models before the January 1, 2027 enforcement date. Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will likewise be expected to issue guidance to dealers and the public ahead of the October 1, 2026 effective date. Industry groups and Second Amendment organizations have signaled that legal challenges are likely; a similar California statute, Assembly Bill 1127 — which takes effect July 1, 2026 — is already making its way through the courts. For now, however, both new laws are on the books, and gun owners, dealers, and manufacturers in Maryland and Connecticut should plan to be in compliance well before their respective effective dates.