HB299 would have made it a Class C felony in Kentucky to knowingly possess a device designed to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun. These devices, commonly known as Glock switches or auto sears, allow firearms to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. The bill also would have prohibited converting a handgun into a machine gun. A Class C felony in Kentucky generally carries a prison sentence of five to 10 years.
The Kentucky State House of Representatives passed HB299 on March 2, 2026 by a vote of 65 to 25. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill mirrors and reinforces an unconstitutional federal gun-control law, thereby undermining state sovereignty and violating the 10th Amendment. Furthermore, by criminalizing firearm components at the state level, HB299 infringes on the Second Amendment, which clearly states that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Instead of defending constitutionally protected rights, this legislation empowers the state to further erode them under the guise of public safety.
