Connecticut Bans Convertible Pistols

[admin]

Connecticut is going after the gun itself now, not just the illegal accessory that goes on it. That's a meaningful shift in how these laws are being written.

"What this bill does is it makes regular, lawful, useful, constitutionally protected handguns that are used for lawful purposes for self-defense, for target shooting, for marksmanship, for training—makes those illegal."

That's not hyperbole — if the cruciform trigger bar language is as broad as reported, you're talking about banning the sale of standard Glock-pattern pistols in the state. The gun that's sitting in half the holsters at any given IDPA match, the one behind more gun store counters than anything else.

"Connecticut already bans possession of the conversion devices themselves under the 2018 rapid-fire accessories law. This bill goes a step further by targeting the host firearm's design—arguing that a gun capable of accepting an illegal accessory is itself a regulatory problem."

This is the part worth paying attention to from Idaho. If that legal theory holds — that a common design feature becomes a liability because an illegal attachment exists for it — you're looking at a template that could work its way into other state legislatures. Manufacturers and distributors don't make separate product lines for every state forever. At some point it affects what's on shelves nationally and what it costs.

The Heller "common use" challenge seems inevitable if this gets signed, and it should be a strong one. But litigation takes years and attorney fees, and in the meantime the effective date is October 2026.

Has the cruciform trigger bar language shown up in any other state bills you've seen this session — or is Connecticut running a one-off here?

---

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett