(DCNF)—Maryland attorneys told a federal court Friday that the state could ban Glock pistols despite their popularity among Americans.
Democratic Gov. Wes Moore became the second governor to enact a ban on Glocks by labeling them as so-called “machine gun convertible pistols” in May, following Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed a similar ban in October 2025. In their filing, the attorneys asserted that Maryland was not violating the landmark 2008 Heller decision with its ban.
“Under binding Fourth Circuit precedent, the popularity of a firearm cannot render it immune from regulation,” the attorneys working for Democratic Maryland Attorney General Andrew Brown claimed. “Thus, machinegun convertible pistols are dangerous and unusual weapons that are outside the Second Amendment’s protection.”
Under current federal law, it is illegal to possess or manufacture a fully-automatic firearm that is not registered or authorized under the provisions of the National Firearms Act. The penalty for violating the NFA is ten years in federal prison.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) filed a motion for a temporary injunction in May, arguing that the Glock falls under the Second Amendment protections recognized in the Supreme Court’s 2008 Heller v. District of Columbia ruling. Maryland attorneys also claimed that advancing technology warranted the ban.
“The need for SB 334 was spurred by two technological leaps that would have been unthinkable to the founders, namely machineguns and 3D printing of firearm parts enabling automatic fire,” the attorneys claimed.
Under the Supreme Court’s rulings in Heller and Bruen, firearms in common use for lawful purposes fall under the Second Amendment’s protection. Glock pistols are among the most popular in the United States, regularly appearing in lists of the most-sold firearms compiled by outlets like Guns and Guns and Ammo magazine.
In addition to being popular among law-abiding citizens, Glock pistols are also used by numerous law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has issued versions of the handgun to its agents since 1997. Former Vice President Kamala Harris boasted on multiple occasions about owning a Glock pistol she acquired for personal protection.
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