Gun rights groups sue to halt New York's upcoming Glock prohibition

On Thursday, three pro-Second Amendment organizations - the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition - lodged a federal suit to block New York’s newly enacted prohibition on Glock and Glock-style pistols. Governor Kathy Hochul approved the measure in May as part of the state budget, joining three other states that have moved to restrict the popular handguns due to illegal “Glock switches” that can convert them to fully automatic fire.

The complaint argues that the ban singles out a widely used firearm category, violating the individual-right protection affirmed in the Supreme Court’s Heller ruling, which bars bans on arms in common use. Plaintiffs warn that the law would push ordinary residents into a shrinking market of pre-ban weapons and that such a targeted ban is unconstitutional. The restriction is scheduled to become operative no later than June 1, 2027, but the filing seeks to prevent its implementation well before that deadline. Similar challenges have been mounted against comparable bans in Maryland and California, with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division previously intervening in the latter.