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The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is asking a federal court to stop Maryland’s controversial Glock ban before it ever takes effect.
On Tuesday, the organization announced it has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in Bathras v. Moore, its lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 334, which was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore earlier this year.
If the law stands, it will prohibit the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer and receipt of what Maryland calls a “machine gun convertible pistol” beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The statute defines those firearms as handguns containing a cruciform trigger bar: a design feature found in Glock pistols and many Glock-pattern handguns.
SAF argues the law doesn’t simply target illegal machine gun conversion devices. Instead, it bans some of the most commonly owned semiautomatic handguns in America because they could be illegally modified.
The lawsuit was originally filed in May, immediately after Gov. Moore signed the legislation.
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“Anti-gun politicians will constantly tell you that ‘no one is coming for your guns,'” said SAF Senior Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “And then they pass bills like this that bans the most commonly owned handgun in America. Both can’t be true.”
Sack argued the law amounts to an attempt to ban an entire class of constitutionally protected firearms “one chunk of the market at a time.”
He also pointed to Supreme Court precedent recognizing handguns as the “quintessential” self-defense firearm protected by the Second Amendment, adding that Glock-style pistols are among the most commonly owned handguns both in Maryland and nationwide.
According to the complaint, the case centers on a straightforward constitutional question: whether Maryland can ban Glock and Glock-style pistols simply because they can be unlawfully converted into fully automatic firearms.
The state says the legislation is aimed at addressing the growing use of illegal machine gun conversion devices, often referred to as “Glock switches,” which can convert compatible semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic weapons. Those conversion devices are already prohibited under federal law.
SAF contends banning the underlying handgun goes far beyond targeting illegal conversion devices and instead restricts firearms that millions of Americans legally own for self-defense.
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Joining SAF in the lawsuit are Atlantic Guns, the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and two private citizens.
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb compared the legislation to restricting constitutional rights because they might be abused.
“Laws like this strip peaceable Americans from access to constitutionally protected arms and seek to bully and hold liable lawful manufacturers and sellers for the criminal misuse of firearms,” Gottlieb said. “This law is the equivalent to banning free speech in the hopes of preventing fraud. It’s bad policy and unconstitutional. We look forward to getting it tossed.”
A preliminary injunction would prevent Maryland from enforcing the Glock ban while the litigation moves forward. Without one, the law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
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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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– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
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