The New York Senate and Assembly passed the state's public protection and general government budget bill on May 21 with a provision creating a new category of prohibited handgun called a "convertible pistol" — defined as any semi-automatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be altered by hand or with common household tools to accept a machine gun conversion device. NRA-ILA reported the measure passed on a near-party-line vote with all Republicans in opposition and is expected to receive Governor Hochul's signature within days.

The practical reach of the new category is broad. A cruciform trigger bar — a cross-shaped component linking the trigger to the firing mechanism — is a standard design element in virtually all Glock-pattern and Glock-compatible striker-fired pistols, a segment that accounts for a substantial share of handguns sold in New York each year. Under the law as written, a pistol qualifies as a convertible pistol based on trigger bar geometry alone; the owner need not possess a conversion device or have any intent to modify the firearm. Any common Glock-style pistol currently on a New York dealer's shelf would meet the definition as written.

The same budget package requires manufacturers of three-dimensional printers sold in New York to equip those devices with blocking software capable of detecting and preventing the production of firearms components, including conversion devices. A working group would be established to set minimum technical standards for the detection algorithms. NRA-ILA described the combined provisions as a "budget ambush," arguing that a prohibition of this scope on commonly owned handguns should have gone through committee hearings and regular floor debate rather than being folded into a spending bill.

Similar legislation is advancing in other states. Illinois's House Gun Violence Prevention Committee passed HB4471 on May 20, targeting what the bill calls "machine gun convertible pistols" with language critics say is broad enough to encompass standard Glock-style handguns. Connecticut passed an analogous measure in April, and California signed a comparable law in October 2025, making New York one of four states now moving against this class of firearm through the same cruciform trigger bar definition. Second Amendment groups including the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition have described the emerging multi-state pattern as a coordinated legislative push to reclassify commonly owned pistols without litigating their constitutionality directly.

Governor Hochul proposed the convertible pistol language as part of her fiscal year 2027 executive budget priorities. The ban on new sales takes effect 30 days after the governor's signature. Dealers and distributors in New York will need to assess inventory quickly. Legal challenges are expected but had not been filed as of publication.