Legislative updates, court decisions, and regulatory changes affecting California firearms law.
Assembly Bill 1810 would make technical, nonsubstantive amendments to existing provisions regarding the centralized list of firearms dealers already maintained by the California Department of Justice.
Assembly Bill 458 would impose restrictions on state and local government contracts with companies that manufacture or sell firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories.
Senate Bill 948 would amend California's Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) requirements. It passed the Senate 28-9 in May 2026 and cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee as amended on June 30, and it now awaits action in the Assembly Appropriations Committee when the Legislature returns from summer recess.
Assembly Bill 1743 would amend Penal Code section 11108.3 to require the California DOJ to share firearm trace data and inspection information with local governments, community colleges, CSU, and UC campuses for academic and policy research purposes.
Assembly Bill 1615 would let county probation departments and their sworn, POST-trained officers purchase off-roster handguns as service weapons. It passed the Assembly 79-0 in May 2026 and is in the Senate Appropriations Committee after a unanimous consent-calendar recommendation from Senate Public Safety.
Assembly Bill 1589 would add a narrow exception to California's silencer ban, allowing Level I reserve peace officers to possess silencers while on duty when authorized by their employing agency. The bill does not legalize civilian silencer ownership.
Assembly Bill 1344, now Chapter 573 of the Statutes of 2025, authorizes a pilot program in four specific counties, Alameda, El Dorado, Santa Clara, and Ventura, allowing district attorneys to petition for Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) using the existing GVRO framework.
Assembly Bill 584, now Chapter 40 of the Statutes of 2025, establishes new requirements for secure facilities at firearms dealerships and manufacturing operations in California.
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 imposing infraction penalties for failure to file relinquishment forms.
Assembly bill that would create a self-defense exception to the California Endangered Species Act's prohibition on taking protected species.
On January 2, 2026, a Ninth Circuit panel struck down California's ban on open carry in counties with populations exceeding 200,000. The Ninth Circuit vacated the panel opinion, granted rehearing en banc, and heard argument in early June 2026. A decision is pending, and all open carry laws remain enforceable.
Duncan v. Bonta is the lead challenge to California's ban on large-capacity magazines (more than 10 rounds). After the Ninth Circuit en banc court upheld the ban in March 2025, plaintiffs sought Supreme Court review. The petition has not been denied and appears to be held pending Grant v. Higgins and Viramontes v. Cook County, consolidated cases to be argued in the October Term 2026. The ban remains in effect.