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Connecticut officially just took another swing at some of America’s most popular handguns.
On May 26, Ned Lamont signed H.B. 5043 into law, targeting so-called “convertible pistols,” semiautomatic handguns lawmakers argue could be illegally modified with machine gun conversion devices.
And the backlash from the firearms world was immediate.
NRA-ILA blasted the law as another attack on law-abiding gun owners, while NSSF says it plans to challenge the measure in court.
Translation: Connecticut just lit another major Second Amendment fuse.
Under the new law, the state will ban future manufacture, sale, and importation of many striker-fired pistols beginning October 1, 2026. The legislation specifically targets handguns using cruciform trigger bar systems that lawmakers claim could be modified using illegal machine gun conversion devices, often called “switches” or MCDs.
And the penalties? Not small. Violating the new law could land someone with a Class D felony. For owning or selling a handgun that’s otherwise legal today.
No doubt, everybody immediately thought of Glocks. That’s because critics argue the bill effectively targets some of the most common carry and duty pistols in America under the theory that criminals might illegally modify them.
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There’s just one pretty massive problem with that logic, according to gun rights groups: The modifications are already wildly illegal.
Federal law already makes possessing or installing a machine gun conversion device a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and massive fines.
NSSF Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane accused Connecticut lawmakers of punishing ordinary gun owners instead of violent criminals.
“To borrow a line from James Carville,” Keane said, “‘it’s the criminal, stupid.’”
Today I signed the FY 2027 budget✍️
— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) May 26, 2026
The largest education investment in state history: $193M more for our schools, $300M into our Early Childhood Education Endowment, and free breakfast for all 500,000 CT students.
On time. On budget. Bipartisan. That’s the Connecticut way. pic.twitter.com/kDM4nnYZSq
The broader concern from groups like NRA-ILA and the Connecticut Firearms Association is what many gun owners call the “squeeze effect.”
SEE ALSO: Connecticut Moves Forward with Glock Ban
First one platform gets restricted. Then another. Then another. And before long, guns that were considered perfectly mainstream five years earlier suddenly become politically radioactive.
That’s why opponents keep hammering one phrase throughout this fight: “common use.”
Since District of Columbia v. Heller, courts have repeatedly grappled with whether states can outright ban firearms owned by millions of Americans for lawful purposes like self-defense.
And striker-fired pistols absolutely dominate the modern handgun market. The irony here is almost impossible to miss too.
At the exact same time Americans are buying more concealed carry pistols than ever before, states like Connecticut are increasingly targeting the very platforms most people actually carry.
Meanwhile, criminals using illegal conversion devices remain criminals… because criminals, shockingly, tend not to follow weapons laws. Now the next battle moves to the courts.
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Sadly, Connecticut isn’t the only state heading down this road.
Just one day before Lamont signed H.B. 5043, the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed a federal lawsuit challenging a nearly identical handgun ban recently signed in Maryland by Wes Moore.
That law, Senate Bill 334, targets so-called “machine gun convertible pistols” and effectively bans most Glock-pattern handguns beginning January 1, 2027. The lawsuit: National Rifle Association of America v. Moore, argues the ban directly violates the Supreme Court’s rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller by prohibiting firearms that are clearly in common use for lawful purposes like self-defense.
Gun rights groups also point out that similar legislation has surfaced in places like California, raising growing concerns among firearm owners that states are increasingly targeting mainstream striker-fired pistols under the broader justification of stopping illegal machine gun conversion devices.
In other words, this probably isn’t staying contained to Connecticut for very long.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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Illinois is working to the same goal.
Connecticut’s leadership is completely incompetent. Furthermore the leadership is unfamiliar with the US Constitution and the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. The legislation that the governing buffoon signed is completely null and void as it is in direct conflict with the US Constitution. Moron democrats. Sorry for the redundancy in that last statement.
The 2 items Democrats need to advance their agenda is first, your money, in the form of higher taxes which don’t really benefit the people actually paying the taxes, and second, control over your firearms, which to them is a means for individuals to resist their planned agenda of total control over every aspect of your life.
more proof of the democraps stupidity. and those who vote for them. although it is really proof of the democraps hatred of our constitutional rights and freedom in America. it shows the real goal of the devilcraps is to destroy our second amendment rights then follow thru with the constitution and America itself. horribly evil traitors the devilcrap party. I am glad to see STURM RUGER moved a majority of its headquarters out of that communist state along with all the jobs and money.
They think they banned them but what they actually did was open a future lawsuit that will end up having the law removed as unconstitutional and protections put in its place. The state’s anti 2A politicians will be forced to bend to the will of the DOJ. Of course the same legislators will immediately afterwards gather in their dark robes, sacrifice a copy of the constitution and write some other piece drivel that will almost certainly end up being struck down.
The DOJ and the people in general, shouldn’t have to keep jumping through these hoops but until it becomes a crime to knowingly violate the rights of the people, these commies, aka Democrats, will continue their attacks on the constitution and the law abiding citizenry.
“Violating the new law could land someone with a Class D felony. ”
But passing unconstitutional laws and depriving citizens of their rights under color of law is just business as usual for democrat politicians.
Why can’t we force the entire northest, from Maine to Virginia, another country? Commifornia should be it’s own country. New York City & Chicago become states?
Where do you think the United States of America got its start. Where do think the Revolutionary War took place so we could self govern and be free from British rule. The Northeast was already another country. It was British. We fixed that. Seems that you like to benefit from the work of the Northeast by exercising your right to free speech, but don’t know which way to direct you comments. Connecticut, as ironic as it may be, is know as the Constitution State. Seems the only real problem with the Northeast is our politicians have forgotten much of our history.
so how exactly does this stop criminals who amazingly don’t get punished properly? death by a thousand paper cuts.