The Connecticut House has passed HB 5043, a proposal that would bar the sale of handguns that can be easily converted into machine guns using a small device, prompting debate over constitutionality and the measure’s impact on gun sales. The bill was introduced by Gov. Ned Lamont in February and would primarily affect Glock handguns, according to gun dealers, industry advocates, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
Supporters say the bill is aimed at “switches,” devices that can allow certain handguns to fire rapid rounds once installed. Everytown’s senior firearms analyst, Greg Lickenbrock, said the legislation addresses “the surge in modified Glock-style pistols being turned into machine guns” and that the problem has grown since police began raising alarms around 2017, as Lickenbrock described it.
Gun dealers and firearms advocates, however, argue the bill is unconstitutional and effectively targets law-abiding buyers rather than criminals. Richard Sprandel, the owner of Blue Line Firearms and Tactical in Monroe, said he expects an order-driven sales shift as customers seek Glocks before a possible ban. “We figured it’s about 30% of our sales,” Sprandel said, referring to Glocks, which he described as the most popular firearm of its kind in the United States.
Lamont said the bill reflects an effort to update gun safety laws. In comments carried with the reporting, Lamont said, “We have one of the safest states in the country when it comes to crime, especially gun related crimes,” and argued lawmakers must keep adjusting safeguards because “the bad guys continue to come up with ways to turn recreational firearms into murder weapons.” When asked specifically about whether manufacturers could be affected, Lamont said it was not his “No. 1 concern.”
Connecticut’s legislation fits into a broader effort to curb gun conversions that are already illegal in the state. Reporting cited Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives data showing seized switches rose from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023, a 784% increase, and it said federal authorities in Boston seized 3,093 imported conversion devices in recent years. It also said the ATF attributed the uptick in part to 3D printing.
The reporting further described what authorities have found in Connecticut and how experts interpret the numbers. In 2023, ATF traced and recovered 2,219 guns in Connecticut, and 31 of those were equipped with machine-gun conversion devices. The article also said that the “real number of switches is likely much higher,” noting that 22 switches were recovered in Hartford alone since 2024 and that in 2023 the Hartford police department seized 45 switches, with 30 not installed on firearms.
Lickenbrock told reporters that investigators may undercount switches because of how seized guns are processed. He said, “With some switches, it’s actually hard to tell if a Glock has been modified unless you fire it or take it apart and look inside of it,” and he added that many police departments do not fire the firearms after recovery, instead holding them for investigation. Lickenbrock said he hopes the laws will pressure gun makers to produce safer designs, calling it frustrating that a company such as Glock allowed the issue to persist without changes.
Opponents said the bill’s approach unfairly focuses on popular models rather than prosecutions. Mark Oliva, managing director of public affairs at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said the legislation “go[es] after one of the most popular-selling handguns in America” and argued that lawmakers are not talking about holding criminals accountable. “We’re not seeing the legislature or the governor talking about holding criminals accountable,” Oliva said, adding that the measure violates the Second Amendment and is “fundamentally wrong,” in his view.
Lickenbrock said the proposal is instead meant to shift pressure onto gun design. He argued that a handful of gun makers are responsible for the problem and said that “why not see if state law could push them to design safer guns?” He also described the conversion devices as a growing factor in how machine guns are used, and the reporting said charges involving machine guns have increased even as convictions have remained the same, with 46 of 47 charges in 2025 for aggressive machine-gun use dropped.
Sprandel said he believes the state should pursue criminal cases involving illegal modifications rather than banning sales of a specific product. He asked why law enforcement is not targeting people charged with converting firearms into fully automatic machine guns and said, “Why are we not going after the criminal? Why are we going after the law-abiding citizen who buys them legally in a gun store?”
Dealers described the bill as affecting purchase behavior even before any final law. Sprandel said customers are coming into his store “specifically for Glocks” because they want to get them before “a possible ban does go through,” which he said has contributed to an uptick in sales, with most of the demand tied to Glock models.
The reporting cited data from The Trace suggesting Connecticut estimated handgun sales rose. It said estimated handgun sales increased 19% from February to March, that March this year showed a 33% increase compared with March last year, and that the data comes from seasonally adjusted figures based on NICS background checks required for gun ownership in Connecticut. The article also noted that while NICS-derived figures are not a direct measure of all retail sales, restrictive gun legislation historically drives up sales, according to The Trace.
Economically, the reporting said firearms-related economic impact in Connecticut was nearly $1.6 billion, citing the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and it said about 5,000 jobs are tied to firearm manufacturing in the state, including direct and induced jobs. Lamont, while acknowledging the need for continued updates, said the state’s focus remains on countering new ways that recreational firearms can be converted into weapons used for serious harm.