Senate Bill 948, Chapter 465, Statutes of 2026, was approved on September 26, 2026 and takes effect January 1, 2027. It extends the personal firearm importer compliance period from 60 to 180 days and requires an FSC within 180 days for importers required to report the firearm, subject to statutory exceptions. Importer-report certification begins January 1, 2028. For FSC applications on or after January 1, 2029, it adds a course of at least four hours, including live-fire exercises, with an exception for valid CCW permit holders and individuals who completed an initial or renewal CCW course within the previous three years.
Legislation
Who: All persons purchasing or acquiring firearms in California, personal firearm importers, and DOJ-certified instructors who administer FSC testing and training●Reviewed Oct 17, 2026
AB 1743 was enacted as Chapter 457, Statutes of 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It clarifies access to DOJ firearm-analysis information for California government agencies, CSU, UC, and qualifying nonprofit private postsecondary institutions under Attorney General conditions and format options.
Legislation
Who: California DOJ Bureau of Firearms, local government agencies, state agencies, UC and CSU researchers, researchers at qualifying private postsecondary institutions, policy analysts●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
AB 1615 was enacted as Chapter 198, Statutes of 2026, effective January 1, 2027. It allows county probation officers to meet the service-weapon training requirement through the POST firearms course and requires live-fire qualification at least every three months.
Legislation
Who: County probation departments, their peace officers who use handguns not on the roster as service weapons, and the California DOJ●Reviewed Oct 17, 2026
Assembly Bill 1589 did not pass in the 2025-26 session. It proposed an on-duty silencer exception for specified Level I reserve peace officers using an agency-owned silencer affixed to an agency-owned rifle with agency authorization.
Legislation
Who: Level I reserve peace officers, law enforcement agencies that employ reserve officers, California DOJ Bureau of Firearms●Reviewed Oct 16, 2026
Assembly Bill 1344, Chapter 573, Statutes of 2025, allows Alameda, El Dorado, Santa Clara, and Ventura counties to establish pilot programs authorizing district attorneys to petition for Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) under the existing framework.
Legislation
Who: District attorneys in Alameda, El Dorado, Santa Clara, and Ventura counties, individuals who may be subject to DA-initiated GVRO petitions, law enforcement in pilot counties, firearms owners in those jurisdictions●Reviewed Oct 16, 2026
Assembly Bill 584, Chapter 40, Statutes of 2025, took effect January 1, 2026. It adds an allowed steel security-door option using panic hardware and a multipoint lock to the secure-facility definitions for firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Legislation
Who: Licensed firearms dealers (FFLs), firearm manufacturers operating in California, Certificate of Eligibility (COE) holders●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
Assembly Bill 383, now Chapter 362 of the Statutes of 2025, strengthens enforcement of California's existing prohibition on minors possessing firearms by extending firearm relinquishment procedures to juveniles adjudicated as wards, granting search warrant authority for non-compliance, and extending the existing infraction penalty for failure to file relinquishment forms.
Legislation
Who: Juveniles adjudicated as wards who are prohibited from possessing firearms until age 30, parents and guardians of such minors, law enforcement agencies, juvenile courts●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
AB 1722 proposed defenses against penalties for taking listed species when necessary and reasonable force protected a person from immediate bodily harm. The Governor vetoed the bill on September 18, 2026.
Legislation
Who: Anyone who uses force to protect themselves, family members, or others from immediate bodily harm from a species listed under the California Endangered Species Act●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
AB 879 did not pass in the 2025-26 session. It proposed changes to Unsafe Handgun Act exemptions and related storage and reporting rules. Its last recorded action was August 29, 2025, when Senate Appropriations held it under submission.
Legislation
Who: County probation departments and their peace officers who would use handguns not on the roster as service weapons●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
AB 824 proposed changes to protective-order firearm and ammunition relinquishment procedures. It did not pass in the 2025-26 session. Its last recorded action was a Senate Appropriations hold on August 29, 2025.
Legislation
Who: Individuals subject to protective orders and firearms owners●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
Senate Bill 248 proposed DOJ informational letters for firearm purchasers and specified transaction reporters. It passed the Senate 28-11 in June 2025 but did not pass in the 2025-26 session. Its last recorded action was the August 29, 2025 Assembly Appropriations hold.
Legislation
Who: Purchasers of firearms in California and persons who report a firearm transaction to the DOJ, who would receive the letter, and the DOJ, which would send it●Reviewed Oct 15, 2026
Governor Newsom signed SB 2 on September 26, 2023, overhauling California's concealed carry framework in response to the Supreme Court's Bruen decision. The law replaced the struck-down "good cause" requirement with sensitive-places restrictions and new training mandates, and removed the prohibition on licensing-authority requirements for liability insurance.
Legislation
Who: All CCW permit holders, applicants, and firearms owners in CaliforniaAction: CCW holders must comply with 20 enforceable sensitive place categories. Six remain enjoined: hospitals, transit, worship, financial institutions, permitted gatherings, and private property default.●Reviewed Oct 16, 2026