Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed SB 334 into law, and gun-rights groups wasted no time dragging the state into federal court.

The National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, challenging the state’s new ban on so-called “machine gun convertible pistols.” The complaint argues the law is not really about machine guns at all. It is a ban on nearly every Glock and Glock-style handgun on the market.

Starting January 1, 2027, SB 334 makes it illegal for ordinary Marylanders to manufacture, sell, offer for sale, purchase, receive, or transfer a covered pistol. The law defines that category around semiautomatic pistols with a “cruciform trigger bar” that can allegedly be converted into a machine gun by installing a backplate-style conversion device.

Maryland is going after Glocks and all Glock-style pistols.

The complaint points out that all factory Glock pistols use a cruciform trigger bar. It also names popular Glock-style pistols, such as the Palmetto State Armory Dagger, the Ruger RXM, and many Shadow Systems models, as likely swept into the ban. These are among the most popular and widely owned defensive handguns in America.

“This Maryland law bans nearly every Glock and Glock-style handgun on the market today,” said SAF Executive Adam Kraut. “These pistols are among the most popular on the market, chosen in overwhelming numbers by peaceable citizens for lawful purposes like self-defense. Maryland has now attempted to ban these firearms because a subset of criminals illegally modifies them, using conversion parts that are themselves illegal to possess, and then commit crimes with the modified handguns. Not only is this law as foolish as banning hops and barley to prevent drunk driving, but these commonly owned arms are clearly protected by the Second Amendment, the ratification of which takes certain policy choices – including this one – off the table.”

Maryland is not banning Glock switches. Those are already illegal under federal law and Maryland law. The state is instead punishing every law-abiding gun owner who wants to buy a semiautomatic handgun because criminals might illegally modify one.

The complaint makes clear that pistol converters, often called Glock switches, are already treated as machine guns under federal law. Maryland also bans “rapid fire activators,” which include these types of devices. Those bans are not what this lawsuit challenges. The question in this case is whether Maryland can ban common, ordinary handguns simply because someone else might illegally turn them into something they are not.

Under Heller, handguns are at the core of the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court called them the “quintessential self-defense weapon.” Under Bruen, the government must justify modern gun restrictions by reference to the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Maryland is going to have a hard time finding a Founding-era tradition of banning the most popular handguns in the country because some criminal might misuse illegal conversion parts.

@govwesmoore just signed Maryland’s Glock ban.

SAF won’t stand for this, and neither should you. Our lawsuit will be filed imminently. Wanna support getting it over the finish line? Head over to https://t.co/niCyD7cIYS and become a member today. pic.twitter.com/NiUzGCQujP

— SAF (@2AFDN) May 26, 2026

The complaint also argues that the Second Amendment protects not only possession but acquisition. A right to keep and bear arms means very little if the state can shut down the lawful sale, purchase, and transfer of the arms citizens actually use.

Anti-gun politicians are trying to create a new category of banned handguns by tying common pistols to illegal conversion devices. If they can get away with that, every popular firearm platform is at risk. The AR-15 can be blamed for illegal auto sears. The Glock can be blamed for illegal switches. The gun owner, as usual, gets punished for the actions of criminals the state failed to stop.

“Bans like the one just signed in Maryland are the antithesis of good policy,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This unconstitutional law does nothing more than punish peaceable gun owners in the state, and it cannot be allowed to stand. You can’t stop criminal violence by broadening the law just to make everyone a criminal. That strategy never works.”

The lawsuit names Gov. Moore, Attorney General Anthony Brown, and Acting Maryland State Police Superintendent Michael Jackson as defendants. The Maryland State Police are tasked with creating regulations to implement the law, including publishing a list of prohibited pistols. That means the state will decide which handguns Marylanders are no longer allowed to buy or transfer.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the law unconstitutional and block its enforcement.

FPC President Brandon Combs did not mince words. “Maryland’s politicians just declared war on an entire class of constitutionally protected handguns and the peaceable people who want to own them. This ban is immoral, unconstitutional, and tyrannical. FPC and our Grassroots Army are going to force Maryland to respect the Second Amendment, full stop.”

The NRA is also framing the fight as part of a larger national campaign against common handguns.

“With a single stroke of his pen, Governor Wes Moore has banned one of the most popular handguns in America,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA-ILA. “Instead of going after criminals and enforcing existing laws, he has chosen to disarm law-abiding Marylanders and strip them of their constitutional rights. The NRA is filing an immediate legal challenge to this unconstitutional assault on the Second Amendment and will exhaust every option available to ensure this law is struck down.” – John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action

Maryland’s SB 334 is not aimed at violent criminals. It is aimed at the ordinary people standing at a gun counter, trying to buy one of the most common defensive pistols in America.

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About Duncan Johnson:

Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor to AmmoLand News and serves as part of the editorial team responsible for AmmoLand’s daily gun-rights reporting and industry coverage.