California Glock Ban Stays in Force — Judge Denies DOJ Emergency Block

U.S. District Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani denied the Department of Justice's request for a temporary restraining order in United States v. California, the federal challenge to AB 1127.

The California law — signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and effective July 1 — prohibits firearm dealers from selling pistols the state labels "machine gun convertible," a category that sweeps in Glock and many common striker-fired designs. The DOJ Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, filed suit the same day and asked for immediate relief.

Almadani said no — for now. Her order stresses two problems with the emergency motion: the government's novel use of 34 U.S.C. § 12601 as a vehicle to facially challenge a state statute, and the text of AB 1127 itself.

The law restricts dealer sales, not mere possession, and includes transfer exceptions. "It is not clear that California citizens are prohibited outright from acquiring Glock and Glock-style pistols," the judge wrote — undermining the irreparable-harm showing TROs require.

That does not mean the DOJ case is dead. Almadani left the door open for a preliminary injunction after fuller briefing on whether Section 12601 authorizes this pattern-or-practice theory at all. The same statutory argument is running in the department's parallel challenges to Virginia, Colorado, and Denver restrictions.

For California buyers, the practical effect is immediate: dealers cannot sell newly banned models while litigation crawls. For the national fight, the ruling shows blue-state judges will stall DOJ emergency motions even when the underlying Second Amendment claim may have merit on the merits.

Harmeet Dhillon promised the Civil Rights Division would defend law-abiding citizens against states that "seek to disarm them illegally." AB 1127 just proved that promise needs more than a press release — it needs a merits win, and probably an appellate path.

Track United States v. California on WTF News. Comment deadlines and dealer compliance guides matter while the courts sort out whether Sacramento can delete America's most common duty pistol from the showroom floor.