WASHINGTON — On June 24, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, Harmeet Dhillon, issued an open letter threatening to sue the State of California if it moves forward with enforcing its Glock ban measure, effective July 1 of this year.
The contested measure was passed by the legislature as Assembly Bill 1127, and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2025. The bill effectively bans the sale of virtually all Glock and Glock-style pistols, an action that AAG Dhillon’s letter says “…violates the Second Amendment,” adding “Californians have the constitutional right to acquire and use state-of-the-art handguns to protect themselves. They should not be forced to settle for decade-old models of handguns to ensure that they remain safe inside or outside the home.”
The letter lays out the framework for the legal action the DOJ proposes to take:
This letter is to inform you that as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, I have authorized the filing of a complaint in federal district court against the state. The complaint will allege that the Glock Ban and the Handgun Roster statute violate the state’s citizens’ Second Amendment rights by making it a crime to acquire constitutionally protected arms from firearms dealers, and that state law enforcement agencies’ implementation of the prohibition and threat of criminal enforcement constitute a pattern or practice of law enforcement misconduct.
This communication from the Civil Rights Division is evidence of its new strategy, announced in early June, in which the Second Amendment Section is filing affirmative legal actions against jurisdictions that are violating the Constitution with regard to Second Amendment rights.
Most recently, in April, Ms. Dhillon penned a similar letter to Governor Spanberger following the passage and signature of Virginia’s “assault weapons” and “large capacity magazine” ban. That suit has not yet materialized, but many legal experts have noted that it will likely come on or near the effective date of the ban, which is coincidentally also July 1.
With regard to the California Glock ban, the DOJ is giving the state an opportunity to make good. “The Department will consider deferring the filing of the lawsuit for a short period if the state is willing to enter pre-suit negotiations in an effort to resolve this matter.” But the letter requests a response regarding pre-suit settlement negotiations no later than June 30, 2026, after which, “the United States may file its complaint without further notice.”
From her official government X account, Ms. Dhillon stated, “Tick tock! On July 1, CA plans to impose an unconstitutional ‘Glock Ban.’ Today, I notified @CAGovernor & @AGRobBonta to drop the unconstitutional restrictions on law-abiding citizens’ rights to purchase legal firearms before the ban goes into effect, or we will sue. Stay tuned!”
You can view the full list of 2A-related legal actions by the DOJ, including those from the Second Amendment Section, in our comprehensive tracker.
