PC 25135:
Residential Firearm Storage Requirements

California Penal Code Section 25135^[1] was enacted through Senate Bill 53 (Chapter 542, Statutes of 2024)^[2] and represents a significant expansion of California's firearms storage requirements. PC 25100 covers child access and, for first- and second-degree criminal storage, access by prohibited persons. PC 25135 requires an adult firearm owner who lawfully occupies a residence and knows or has reason to know that a prohibited person also resides there to keep firearms securely stored or carried or readily controlled by a lawful owner or authorized user. PC 25145 supplies the general residential storage requirement.

Storage Requirements

PC 25135(a) requires covered residents to keep a firearm securely stored or carried or readily controlled by a lawful owner or authorized user. Under PC 25145, secure storage means maintaining the firearm within, locking it with, or disabling it using a certified firearm safety device or secure gun safe.

• In a locked container that qualifies as a certified firearm safety device or a secure gun safe under PC 25145
• Disabled by a firearm safety device listed on the California DOJ's roster of approved devices
• Locked in a gun safe that meets the Department of Justice standards

What Constitutes "Close Enough Proximity"

PC 25135 incorporates the definition of "readily controlled" in PC 25145. A lawful owner or authorized user must carry the firearm or be close enough to readily prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. The statute specifies no distance.

Effective Date

PC 25135 took effect on January 1, 2025 and became operative on January 1, 2026. Firearm owners had about fifteen months from the bill's signing in September 2024 until the new storage requirements became operative.

Penalties

A first violation of PC 25135 is a misdemeanor^[3]. A second or subsequent violation is a misdemeanor. If a violation results in a prohibited person, minor, or person who is at risk of harming themselves or others gaining access to the unsecured firearm, the penalties may be enhanced.

Application to Different Residents

PC 25135 applies according to its residential conditions.

• Law enforcement officers must comply when they meet the residential conditions in PC 25135. The firearm must be securely stored or carried or readily controlled by a lawful owner or authorized user.
• Persons who reasonably believe they are in imminent danger and require immediate access to a firearm for self-defense must comply when they meet the residential conditions in PC 25135. The firearm must be securely stored or carried or readily controlled by a lawful owner or authorized user.
• Licensed firearms dealers in the course of their business operations must comply when they meet the residential conditions in PC 25135. The firearm must be securely stored or carried or readily controlled by a lawful owner or authorized user.
• Persons who live alone fall outside PC 25135 because no prohibited person also resides there. The general residential storage requirement in PC 25145 still applies, subject to its exceptions.