Unsafe Handgun Act (PC 31900-32110) and Certified Handguns Roster

California Penal Code Sections 31900 through 32110^[1] establish the Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA). Section 31910^[2] sets forth the specific safety criteria a handgun must meet to be eligible for listing on the DOJ Certified Handguns Roster. Subject to statutory exemptions, handguns that do not meet these criteria may not be manufactured, sold, or offered for sale by a licensed dealer in California. Note: Penal Code Section 24510 addresses disguised and imitation firearms. It is a separate statute unrelated to the UHA or the handgun roster.

The Certified Handguns Roster

The California Department of Justice maintains the Certified Handguns Roster, a list of handgun models that have been tested and certified as meeting the state's safety requirements^[3]. Subject to statutory exemptions, only handguns appearing on this roster may be sold by licensed dealers to the general public. The roster is updated periodically as manufacturers submit new models for testing or allow existing certifications to expire. Since July 1, 2026, roster listing is no longer sufficient by itself. AB 1127 (Penal Code Section 27595) separately prohibits dealers from selling semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistols, including roster-listed Glock Gen3 pistols, subject to exceptions such as pistols delivered to a dealer before January 1, 2026, and private party transactions conducted through a licensed dealer. The roster framework is also under challenge in United States v. California (C.D. Cal., filed July 1, 2026), the federal government's suit against AB 1127 and the Unsafe Handgun Act.

Testing Requirements

Under Section 31910, to be listed on the roster, a handgun must satisfy the following criteria:

• Drop safety test: Each of the three test handguns must not fire the primer of a chambered primed case containing no powder or projectile when dropped from the specified height in six orientations, as defined by the testing protocol in Section 31900^[4].
• Firing requirement: The handgun must successfully fire a specified number of rounds without malfunction, demonstrating basic reliability.
• Safety device: Section 31910 requires a pistol to have a positive manually operated safety device and a revolver to have a device that retracts the hammer so the firing pin does not rest on the primer. Its additional requirements for semiautomatic pistols not already listed on the roster commencing July 1, 2022, include a chamber load indicator for centerfire pistols and a magazine disconnect mechanism for centerfire or rimfire pistols with detachable magazines.

Roster Shrinkage

The roster has steadily shrunk over time for two primary reasons. First, manufacturers must pay an annual renewal fee for each listed model, and some manufacturers have chosen not to renew certifications for older or low-volume models. Senate Bill 452 removed the microstamping requirement from the Unsafe Handgun Act effective January 1, 2024. The DOJ roster identifies handgun models added pursuant to the orders in Boland v. Bonta. As a result, the roster contains increasingly dated models while newer designs remain unavailable through dealers.

Exemptions

The roster requirement has exemptions for private party transfers between individuals, qualifying law enforcement purchases, curio and relic handguns, certain single-action revolvers, and certain intrafamilial transfers. Section 32000(c)(1) prohibits dealers from processing an unsafe-handgun sale or transfer from a person who obtained it under the exemptions in Section 32000(b)(6) or (7) to a person who is not exempt. These exemptions create secondary market channels through which Californians may lawfully acquire off-roster handguns, often at significant price premiums.

See also: Off-Roster Handgun Transfers: Legal Pathways