New York Penal Law defines a pistol converter as a device that, when installed in or attached to the slide of a semiautomatic pistol, interferes with the trigger mechanism and enables rapid or automatic fire with one continuous trigger pull. Pistol converters are included in the broader definition of a rapid-fire modification device.[1]
Current New York Offenses
Knowing possession of any rapid-fire modification device is criminal possession of a rapid-fire modification device under Section 265.01-c, a Class A misdemeanor. Penal Law Section 70.15 sets the maximum jail term for a Class A misdemeanor at 364 days.[2][3]
Section 265.10 separately makes specified conduct involving a rapid-fire modification device a Class E felony. The covered conduct includes manufacturing or causing one to be manufactured, transporting or shipping one, and disposing of one. Section 265.00 defines "dispose of" broadly to include giving, lending, offering for sale, selling, transferring, and other forms of disposal. A Class E felony has a maximum indeterminate term of four years under Section 70.00, although the sentence in a case depends on the applicable sentencing provisions.[4][5]
How the Current Definition Developed
Chapter 429 of the Laws of 2024 defined "pistol converter" and added reasonable steps to prevent installation and use of a converter to the statutory meaning of reasonable controls and procedures for gun industry members. Chapter 115 of the Laws of 2025 added pistol converters to New York's rapid-fire modification device definition. These enacted measures, rather than the separate S9225 proposal concerning convertible pistols, establish the current state rules described here.[6][7]
Gun Industry Controls
General Business Law Section 898-a defines reasonable controls and procedures for gun industry members. The definition includes taking reasonable steps to prevent installation and use of a pistol converter on qualified products. It does not create a simple promise that every handgun must be impossible to convert. The governing duties and any enforcement question must be evaluated under the full Article 39-DDDD framework.[8]
Federal Law
ATF treats a machine-gun conversion device as a machine gun under federal law even when the device is not installed in a firearm. ATF warns that unlawful possession can result in federal prosecution and a prison sentence of up to ten years. Federal classification and New York's rapid-fire-device offenses operate independently, so the same conduct can implicate both systems.[9]
Changes Taking Effect August 25, 2026
New York's current statutory page also displays amendments scheduled for August 25, 2026. On that date, the machine-gun definition is scheduled to include a convertible pistol equipped with a pistol converter. The amended text also narrows the pistol-converter definition to a device that replaces the backplate at the rear of the slide and adds a definition of "convertible pistol." Until that effective date, those provisions are future law and should not be described as already operative.[1]