Legislative updates, court decisions, and regulatory changes affecting California firearms law.
Assembly bill proposing changes to the Unsafe Handgun Act and certified handgun roster. Passed Assembly 69-0 in May 2025, held in Senate Appropriations under submission.
Assembly bill addressing protective order firearms surrender requirements. Passed Assembly 78-0 in June 2025, held in Senate Appropriations under submission.
Senate bill requiring additional information for new firearms owners at point of sale. Passed Senate 28-11 in June 2025, held in Assembly Appropriations under submission.
A comprehensive analysis of all pending Second Amendment cases affecting California. The Bruen decision has triggered challenges to nearly every major component of the state's firearms regulatory framework. This article examines which provisions are most vulnerable and provides a timeline of expected rulings.
The California DOJ Bureau of Firearms has implemented updates to the Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) system and the Automated Firearms System (AFS), including changes to processing times, fee structures, and data reporting requirements.
May v. Bonta and Carralero v. Bonta challenged SB 2's expansive list of "sensitive places" where concealed carry is prohibited. The Ninth Circuit reversed the preliminary injunction in significant part (mandate January 23, 2025), making 20 of 26 categories enforceable. Six categories remain enjoined. Plaintiffs have petitioned for en banc rehearing.
Boland v. Bonta challenges the California Handgun Roster and its microstamping requirement as unconstitutional under Bruen. The roster has shrunk from over 1,200 models at its peak to approximately 800 due to the microstamping mandate, which no manufacturer has been able to implement.
Miller v. Bonta is the lead challenge to California's assault weapons ban. After the Ninth Circuit en banc court upheld the large-capacity magazine ban in Duncan v. Bonta (March 2025), the Miller panel ordered supplemental briefing and the case was resubmitted to the panel for decision. A ruling from the Ninth Circuit is pending.
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 expansive sensitive-places restrictions, new training mandates, and insurance requirements.
Rupp v. Bonta is a parallel challenge to California's assault weapons ban filed in the Central District, brought by different plaintiffs but raising similar constitutional issues. The case received a SCOTUS GVR after Bruen and is pending on remand.
Rhode v. Bonta challenges California's Proposition 63 ammunition background check system, which requires point-of-sale background checks for all ammunition purchases and bans direct-to-consumer online sales. Judge Benitez has enjoined the system, and the case is on appeal.
On June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court held 6-3 in NYSRPA v. Bruen that New York's "proper cause" requirement for concealed carry permits violates the Second Amendment. The decision established a new text, history, and tradition framework and eliminated "good cause" requirements for CCW permits nationwide.