As of April 1, 2026, California Penal Code Section 27535 limits all firearm purchases to three within any 30-day period. This new limit -- enacted through AB 1078 [4] -- replaced the original one-handgun-per-30-days restriction that the Ninth Circuit struck down in June 2025 (Nguyen v. Bonta). The new limit applies to all firearm types: handguns, rifles, and shotguns alike.
Ninth Circuit Strikes Down the One-in-30 Limit
On June 20, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously struck down California's one-firearm-per-30-days law in Nguyen v. Bonta [2]. The three-judge panel affirmed the district court's summary judgment, holding that PC 27535 and PC 27540(f) facially violate the Second Amendment. The court found that "possession of multiple firearms and the ability to acquire firearms through purchase without meaningful constraints are protected by the Second Amendment" and that California's law lacked any comparable historical analog under the framework established in NYSRPA v. Bruen (2022) [3].
Between June 20, 2025 and March 31, 2026, California had no firearm purchase limit in effect as a result of the Nguyen ruling. AB 1078, signed in 2025 and effective April 1, 2026, restored a three-in-30 handgun purchase limit that is now actively enforced (see AB 1078 section below).
AB 1078: Three-in-30 Replacement (Effective April 1, 2026)
In response to the Nguyen decision, the California legislature enacted AB 1078, signed by Governor Newsom on October 10, 2025 [4]. Beginning April 1, 2026, AB 1078 replaces the struck-down one-in-30 limit with a new three-in-30 limit that applies to all firearm types -- handguns, rifles, and shotguns alike. Under the new Section 27535(a), a person may not make an application to purchase one or more firearms that would result in the purchase of more than three firearms cumulatively within any 30-day period. If the DOJ notifies the dealer that the purchaser has already applied for firearms that would exceed three in the preceding 30 days, the dealer may not complete the delivery under Section 27540(f) [5].
Exemptions
Section 27535(b) enumerates 14 specific exemptions from the three-in-30 limit [4]:
- Law enforcement agencies and agencies authorized to perform law enforcement duties
- State or local correctional facilities
- Licensed private security companies
- Full-time paid peace officers carrying firearms within the scope of their employment
- Motion picture, television, video, entertainment, or theatrical production companies
- Persons claiming waiting period exemptions under Articles 2, 3, or 4 (Sections 27600 et seq.)
- Private party sellers required by law or court order to relinquish all firearms
- Estate and trust transfers: Personal representatives of a decedent's estate, persons holding property in trust, and trustees transferring firearms from a trust
- Licensed federal firearms collectors (Type 03 FFL) holding a valid California Certificate of Eligibility (COE) issued by the DOJ
- Firearm exchanges within 30 days of a dealer purchase (new firearm of the same type exchanged for the purchased firearm)
- Replacement firearms for lost or stolen weapons that were previously reported to law enforcement
- Return of firearms to their owners
- Community colleges certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for law enforcement training programs
CCW-Related Changes in AB 1078
AB 1078 modifies CCW disqualification criteria and requires more thorough background investigations for CCW applicants. It also includes a fingerprint renewal requirement for existing permit holders: CCW holders who were issued permits without a full DOJ fingerprint record on file are required to submit updated fingerprints through Live Scan at the time of their next permit renewal under PC 26185(b)(2). There is no independent stand-alone deadline requiring proactive fingerprint submission before renewal; the requirement is triggered at renewal. CCW holders who obtained permits after 2022 through the post-Bruen shall-issue process generally already have compliant fingerprint records on file.
Current Status Summary
| Period | Rule | Authority |
| Before June 20, 2025 | One firearm per 30 days | PC 27535 / PC 27540.5 |
| June 20, 2025 -- March 31, 2026 | No purchase limit | Nguyen v. Bonta |
| April 1, 2026 onward | Three firearms per 30 days | AB 1078 (new PC 27535) |
Enforcement Mechanism
AB 1078 enforces the three-in-30 limit primarily through the DROS system. Under Section 27540(f), when the DOJ determines that a purchaser's application would result in more than three firearms within a 30-day period, the DOJ notifies the dealer, and the dealer is prohibited from completing the delivery. The statute does not specify separate criminal penalties for purchasers who attempt to exceed the limit. The enforcement mechanism is operational rather than penal -- the DROS system automatically blocks transactions that would exceed the three-firearm threshold.
CA DOJ Bulletin 2026-DLE-03 (March 24, 2026)
On March 24, 2026, the California Department of Justice issued Information Bulletin 2026-DLE-03 providing implementation guidance on the three-firearm purchase limit (AB 1078). The bulletin clarifies how the limit interacts with Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permit holders, how law enforcement and private party transfer exemptions apply, and how the 30-day rolling window is calculated for purchasers with multiple transactions [99].
As of April 12, 2026, AB 1078 is operative (effective April 1, 2026) and the three-in-30 limit is actively enforced at all California FFL transactions.