AB2339 and SB1220 (2026): Expanding Prohibited Persons Categories

What the Bills Do

AB2339 revises reporting and procedures for firearm prohibitions involving juvenile adjudications and mental health treatment. SB1220 adds a ten-year firearm prohibition for convictions on or after January 1, 2027 for violating Penal Code section 23920(a), concerning altered or removed firearm identification marks.

AB2339 is Chapter 462, Statutes of 2026^[1]. SB1220 is Chapter 466, Statutes of 2026^[2]. Both were approved September 26, 2026 and take effect January 1, 2027.

California's prohibited persons framework is among the most extensive in the country. Penal Code sections 29800-29905 prohibit firearm possession by convicted felons, persons convicted of specified misdemeanors (including domestic violence offenses under PC 29805), individuals subject to certain restraining orders, and several other categories. Welfare and Institutions Code section 8103 restricts firearm possession following specified mental-health adjudications, including a court finding that a person is a danger to others as a result of a mental disorder or mental illness. The state also maintains the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS), which cross-references firearm ownership records against prohibited person databases to identify individuals who acquired firearms legally but subsequently became prohibited^[3].

Current Status

AB2339 passed the Assembly 76-1 on May 26, 2026 and Senate Public Safety 6-0 on June 16. SB1220 passed the Senate 30-8 on May 27 and Assembly Public Safety 8-0 on June 23, with re-referral to Appropriations June 24. Both bills completed legislative passage and were approved September 26, 2026. AB2339 is Chapter 462, Statutes of 2026. SB1220 is Chapter 466, Statutes of 2026^[4]. Both acts take effect January 1, 2027.

What to Watch

AB2339 requires notice to DOJ when a juvenile petition underlying a firearm prohibition is dismissed. It also keeps a person certified for intensive treatment subject to the five-year firearm prohibition after release following certification review or a writ of habeas corpus. Each new prohibited category must withstand constitutional scrutiny under the Bruen framework, which requires a historical analogue for the restriction. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Rahimi (2024) held that when a restraining order contains a court finding that an individual poses a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate partner, that individual may be prohibited from possessing firearms while the order is in effect. Any new category that lacks a clear historical analogue will face heightened legal risk. SB1220 applies its new ten-year firearm prohibition to convictions on or after January 1, 2027 for violating Penal Code section 23920(a).