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A controversial handgun crackdown is coming in California

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A controversial handgun crackdown is coming in California



A new law in California targets Glocks, which critics say can be easy to convert into a machine gun. Other states have also struggled with the issue.

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A newly passed law in California restricts sales of a popular type of handgun that critics have long said is too easy to convert into a machine gun.

The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10, will outlaw retail sales of semiautomatic handguns that can be easily modified using a category of tools commonly known as “Glock switches” – machine gun-conversion devices that interfere with the gun’s trigger device to allow shots to continually fire while the trigger is pressed.

The law comes after years of criticism and litigation aimed at Glock for continuing to manufacture guns compatible with the switches. The devices can enable pistols to fire at rates of up to 1,200 rounds per minute, according to gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

In one example last year, a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four and injured over a dozen involved what officials believed to be Glock switch-modified guns.

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The move in California comes as a number of Democratic-led states are looking for their own solutions to the problem of illegal machine gun conversion devices, turning to lawsuits and pondering their own anti-Glock measures in the absence of the company taking steps to thwart the switch devices, said Jennifer Dineen, a professor at the University of Connecticut and member of the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium.

“California is the first to be successful here,” Dineen said. “It’s a state taking action when a manufacturer does not take action.”

While the law marks a notable escalation in the crackdown on modified semiautomatic handguns, California is focused on making Glocks harder to access – not banning them from the state entirely.

“Nobody is taking away anybody’s Glocks. Nobody is removing guns that already exist,” Dineen added.

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What does the new law say?

The law, Assembly Bill 1127, covers handguns manufactured by Glock and similar pistols that use a “cruciform trigger bar.” It notes that the sale of machine guns is already prohibited, and it expands the definition of a machine gun under state law to include handguns that can be easily modified to fire automatically.

Firearms dealers will be banned from selling the guns starting in 2026. Dealers will still be allowed to sell the guns they had before the law goes into effect, and there are exceptions for law enforcement and private party sales.

The possession of the handguns isn’t affected, only the sale of them.

Why ban the sale of Glock handguns?

The small converter parts aren’t affiliated with or sold by Glock itself, but are a “do-it-yourself” hack posing a rising issue in the U.S. Illegal “auto sears” can be easily and cheaply made using 3D printers, and instantly turn a handgun into an illegal machine gun.

Federal authorities say they have become the most commonly seized weapon in firearm trafficking cases and are commonly used by young people. Between 2017 and 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized 5,454 machine gun conversion devices that include Glock switches. That was a 570% increase from the previous five years when the agency recovered 814 of the parts.

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The bill says that the guns “can bereadily converted by hand or with common household tools into a machinegun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter… as any device or instrument that, when installed in or attached to the rear of the slide of a semiautomatic  pistol, replaces the backplate and interferes with the trigger mechanism and thereby enables the pistol to shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger.”

“Now people can (3D) print or get things from the internet,” Dineen said. “The ability to DIY a modification is greater than it was even 10 years ago.”

A gun that may have been purchased completely legally and is compliant with the law can be instantly turned into a weapon that is outlawed, she said.

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NRA immediately challenges new law in court

The National Rifle Association announced on Oct. 13 it was joining the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons and Gear and two members of the NRA to file a lawsuit to challenge the new law. The suit claims the law is a violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution because of previous Supreme Court rulings striking down bans on handguns.

“California’s ban on many of the most popular handguns in America blatantly defies the Court’s precedent,” the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action said in a statement.

But Dineen said it may be tough to prove that argument, because the new law doesn’t ban all firearms, or even all handguns; it only bans the sale of handguns with a certain type of design, not the ownership of them.

Coalition of states also sue Glock

Mounting calls to modify the design of Glock handguns to make them harder to “switch” into machine guns have gone ignored by the manufacturer, Dineen said. As a result, states have begun taking matters into their own hands.

“Gun violence is an epidemic, and we cannot allow manufacturers to look the other way while their firearms are turned into illegal machine guns,” said California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, a Democrat.

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By banning the sale of Glock and similar handguns, California – which ranked third in states with the most gun sales in 2023 behind only Texas and Florida – might exert some significant financial pressure on Glock to pursue those changes, Dineen said.

Pressure has also come in the form of lawsuits against Glock. States including New Jersey, Minnesota and Maryland, and cities including Baltimore, Chicago and Portland, have all filed lawsuits against the company in recent years claiming it has allowed for the proliferation of machine guns by facilitating the sale of guns that are easily converted, according to news reports.

Some of the suits argue that Glock has known for years that its weapons are easy to turn into machine guns and done nothing.

Glock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the California law or claims in the lawsuits against it.

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Other states including New York and Illinois have also considered legislation that would ban the sale of Glock and similar handguns.

Glock switches are already prohibited by specific laws in at least 28 states including California, according to a count by Everytown for Gun Safety.



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Big Boy: World’s largest locomotive embarks on California tour

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Big Boy: World’s largest locomotive embarks on California tour


(KTXL) — Northern California residents will have an opportunity to see the world’s largest steam locomotive when Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” makes numerous stops in the state over the next several days.

Big Boy No. 4014 is in the middle of a coast-to-coast tour that will take the train from California to Pennsylvania in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The train began the journey last month in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the locomotive’s home base, and arrived in Portola, California on Wednesday.

After stops in Oroville, Marysville and Lincoln Thursday, Big Boy will arrive for a multi-day stay in Roseville, California.

“We’re proud to welcome the Big Boy back to Roseville, a city that owes its founding more than a century ago to the railroad,” Roseville Mayor Krista Bernasconi said in a news release. “Big Boy’s return isn’t just a nod to our past; it brings visitors from across the region to explore the shopping, dining, events and attractions that make Roseville such a vibrant place to be.”

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The train will be on public display at 375 Atlantic Street in Roseville for two days: 1-5 p.m. on April 10 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 11.

While in the Golden State, the train will also make brief “whistle-stops” in several other area towns:

  • Oroville, April 9, 2-2:30 p.m., 2181 High Street
  • Marysville, April 9, 3:30-3:45 p.m., 7th Street Crossing
  • Lincoln, April 9, 4:30-4:45 p.m., 7th Street Crossing
  • Colfax, April 12, noon-12:45 p.m., Amtrak Depot, 99 Railroad Street
  • Truckee, April 12, 4:45-5 p.m., 10065 Donner Pass Road

Admission is free, though Union Pacific warns that guests should always stay 25 feet back from the tracks and never climb on the locomotive.

U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, former Oregon congresswoman who now serves in President Donald Trump’s administration, will be in town to celebrate the visit. The cabinet member plans to talk with the Big Boy’s “steam team” and learn more about the locomotive, officials said.

Union Pacific’s No. 4014 Big Boy makes a stop in Hempstead, Texas, on Oct. 4, 2024. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Big Boy No. 4014 was one of 25 locomotives commissioned for Union Pacific Railroad beginning in 1941. According to the company, they were built to haul heavy equipment during World War II between Ogden, Utah and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The locomotives are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds. They are “hinged,” which helps the huge trains navigate curves.

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The Big Boys were eventually decommissioned, including the retirement of No. 4014 in December 1961 after traveling more than a million miles, according to Union Pacific.

But in 2013, the company reacquired the locomotive from a museum in Pomona, California. And in May 2019, Big Boy No. 4014 was returned to service, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.



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California Candidate Offers Donors Money-Back Guarantee

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California Candidate Offers Donors Money-Back Guarantee


Matt Mahan wants money to burn.
Photo: Casey Flanigan/Sipa USA/AP Photo

Finding new ways to raise money for political campaigns is a big cottage industry, particularly in California with its 14 expensive media markets. Now a novel wrinkle is being deployed by gubernatorial candidate and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan, as the New York Times explains:

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Two months ago, Silicon Valley could not have been more agog about Matt Mahan, the moderate Democrat who had just entered the California governor’s race as a tech industry ally opposed to a billionaires’ tax …

Mr. Mahan quickly raised millions, including contributions from Sergey Brin, the Google co-founder. But he has struggled to gain traction among voters. Now, with the June primary fast approaching, Mr. Mahan’s supporters have concocted a rather unusual campaign-finance strategy.

The pitch: Help us raise $35 million by April 17, and you’ll get your money back if we fall short.

No, donors aren’t being promised a win or a refund. But they will get their money back if Mahan doesn’t raise enough money to become viable in the home stretch before mail ballots start being cast in early May (the end of the all-by-mail primary is June 3, the date by which those ballots must be postmarked). The conditional nature of these donations, moreover, means they will be anonymous until such time as Team Mahan hits the target and the money is transferred into an official campaign account. It provides a nice hedging device for big-money folk nervous about the fragile shape of the ten-candidate field that is vying for two general-election slots. And the cup-rattling is off to a pretty good start, says the Times:

The campaign is organized by David Crane, an influential California political fixer whose advocacy group, Govern for California, is popular among tech executives. Mr. Crane has told people in recent days that the group’s “escrow” account has $13.5 million so far with $5 million more in the pipeline, according to communications The Times reviewed. Donors pitching it include Michael Moritz, a billionaire venture capitalist and one of Mr. Mahan’s biggest supporters, and Blake Byers, a tech executive and investor.

Mahan’s money hustlers are his campaign’s strength and also one of his weaknesses. California progressives are intensely suspicious of the Silicon Valley bros who have been moving rapidly to the right in the last few years. Some have joined hands with Donald Trump and others have gravitated to “Abundance” Democrats, like Mahan, who have little tolerance for his party’s interest-and-constituency-group “base” and its policy preferences. If Mahan’s campaign did take off, it might stimulate a consolidation of support behind one of the more progressive candidates (probably Eric Swalwell, Katie Porter, or Tom Steyer). That’s particularly true now that Trump’s endorsement of Republican Steve Hilton has likely limited the number of Democratic participants in the general election to one.

For the moment, any Mahan surge is hypothetical. His late entry into the race at the end of January means he wasn’t even being included in early polls. The one public poll where he does appear, a March 15 survey from Berkeley IGS, showed him tied for seventh place at 4 percent. Yes, he needs money to catch up, but he also needs a compelling message that goes beyond “lefties hate me!” Said lefties would undoubtedly shrug and support Mahan if he is in a general election with Hilton. But they have plenty of other options — at least one of whom, Steyer, has more money to burn than Mahan can ever raise — before it comes to that.

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Attorney disputes federal claims after ICE shooting in California; family seeks medical update

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Attorney disputes federal claims after ICE shooting in California; family seeks medical update


The attorney for the man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Patterson is disputing federal claims and raising questions about what led up to the shooting, and what’s happening now at the hospital.

Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez’s fiancée and attorney say they still don’t know his condition and are struggling to get basic information from authorities.

They’re also disputing ICE’s version of events and point to court documents that they say tell a very different story.

“I have a lot of concern right now about getting info, finding out how is he doing, is he alive, is he recovering and what is his situation,” said Patrick Kolasinski, Hernandez’s attorney.

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Dashcam video captured the moments Tuesday morning when Hernandez tried to pull away from agents who were attempting to arrest him as ICE said he is wanted for questioning in El Salvador in connection with a murder. Kolasinski speculated that his reaction may have been driven by fear.

“I wasn’t with him, I can only imagine if you see what’s happening in immigration detention and find yourself about to be detained,” Kolasinski said. “It’s normal to try and flee.”

ICE claims Hernandez is a member of the 18th Street gang and is wanted in El Salvador. But his attorney says none of that is true. 

“Carlos is a family man who was on his way to work when he was detained by ICE. He has had no criminal contacts in the United States,” Kolasinski said.

Court documents from 2019 show Hernandez was charged with aggravated homicide, which was later reduced to simple homicide. The court documents also shows Hernandez was found not guilty.

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“He was, in fact, acquitted, so he cannot possibly have a warrant out for his arrest,” Kolasinski said.

CBS Sacramento reached out to ICE regarding the court document from El Salvador, but has yet to hear back.

“I think the problem is the training,” Kolasinski said. “You have a not dangerous person and when they try to flee. First of all, the car was way too far behind. When you do a traffic stop, you pull up close behind. If you’ve ever gotten a ticket, you’ll see CHP is on your bumper. Why? So this can’t happen.”

Hernandez’s attorney and his fiancée both say they’re now struggling to get basic information.

“Sheriff’s office, no one, no one responded to me, being searching for answers,” said Cindy, Hernandez’s fiancée.

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Cindy said she didn’t hear from the authorities first, but from her sister. After arriving at the hospital, she said an FBI agent took her into a room.

“He said, ‘I’m going to record you because I need to have this recorded, right?’ So I was expecting him to talk to me about Carlos. I literally asked how he’s doing, is he’s in the hospital. He said, ‘I cannot share any information. I’m not authorized.’”

CBS Sacramento reached out to the FBI and is awaiting a response. 

As they wait for answers, she said this goes beyond just one case.

“Right now it’s me and that’s the reason I’m here. I’m also representing our community,” Cindy said. “I don’t want this situation to continue and continue blaming these people, in this case, Carlos.”

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Right now, his family and his attorney say they’re still attempting to find out his condition. 

Kolasinski said Wednesday evening that Hernandez is detained under the U.S. attorney’s office. Kolasinski added that Hernandez underwent a medical procedure, but the family doesn’t know his condition. 



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