California has passed a wave of firearms legislation in the past two years, and the new gun laws in California now touch concealed carry, home storage, taxes, ammunition purchases, and how private handgun sales are counted. Senate Bill 2 rewrote the concealed carry permit system in January 2024. A statewide mandatory safe storage rule for residences took effect January 1, 2026. An 11% state excise tax has been added to firearms and ammunition sales since July 2024. Several provisions are still being fought over in federal court, so some rules are enforceable today and others are on hold.
Concealed Carry Under SB 2
Senate Bill 2 took effect January 1, 2024, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen ruling struck down California’s old “good cause” standard for concealed carry permits. The state dropped that subjective test and replaced it with tougher training and screening.
New applicants must complete at least 16 hours of firearms training. Renewals require eight hours. At least one hour has to cover mental health awareness. Every firearm listed on the permit must be registered to the applicant individually, so jointly registered guns no longer qualify.1Shasta County CA. CCW SB2 Updates
The issuing agency has to run a background investigation aimed at deciding whether the applicant is “reasonably likely to be a danger” to themselves or others. That includes interviewing at least three character references, reviewing publicly available information about the applicant (including social media), and, for applicants with certain domestic relationships, interviewing a cohabitant or partner named in the statute.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 26202 Denials can be appealed in court.
Fees vary by county and typically include a state background check fee, a local processing fee, and the cost of training set by private instructors. Plan on several hundred dollars total between government fees and tuition.
Where Permit Holders Can and Cannot Carry
SB 2 also created a long list of “sensitive places” where concealed carry is prohibited even with a valid permit, codified at Penal Code section 26230.3California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 26230 A federal district court initially blocked most of the list in late 2023. The Ninth Circuit partially reversed that injunction in January 2025, putting many locations back in force and keeping others on hold.4United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Carralero v. Bonta, No. 23-4356
As of that mandate, permit holders cannot carry in:
- School zones, preschools, childcare facilities, and college and university campuses
- State executive and legislative buildings, local government buildings, courthouses, and police stations
- Adult and juvenile jails and prisons
- Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol
- Playgrounds, youth centers, public parks, athletic fields, and most Department of Parks and Recreation or Department of Fish and Wildlife property
- Stadiums, arenas, casinos, amusement parks, zoos, and museums
- Public libraries
- Airports and passenger vessel terminals
- Nuclear facilities controlled by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Polling places
Still Blocked by Court Order
Six categories from the original SB 2 list remain enjoined and are not currently enforceable against permit holders: hospitals, medical offices, nursing homes, and mental health facilities; publicly funded buses, trains, and transit facilities; public gatherings or special events requiring a government permit; places of worship; banks and financial institutions; and the parking areas connected to any of these locations.4United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Carralero v. Bonta, No. 23-4356
The Private Property Default
SB 2 would also flip the traditional rule for businesses open to the public, prohibiting concealed carry inside unless the owner posts a sign explicitly allowing it. The Ninth Circuit kept the injunction on this provision, so the default is not currently enforceable.4United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Carralero v. Bonta, No. 23-4356 Business owners can still post “no firearms” signs and enforce them under existing trespass law.
Mandatory Safe Storage at Home
Effective January 1, 2026, Penal Code section 25145 requires every firearm in a residence to be securely stored whenever it isn’t being carried on the owner’s body or kept close enough that the owner can prevent unauthorized access. “Securely stored” means kept in a locked container or locked gun safe, or disabled with a certified firearm safety device such as a trigger or cable lock.6California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 25145
Penalties escalate:
- First violation: fine up to $250
- Second violation: fine up to $500
- Third and subsequent violations: misdemeanor
That is separate from, and much less severe than, the existing “criminal storage” offense at Penal Code section 25100. If you store a firearm where you know or should know a child or a prohibited person could get it, and that person actually obtains the gun and causes death or serious injury, criminal storage in the first degree carries up to three years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 25100 and 25110 The practical effect of section 25145 is that a firearm sitting loose in a nightstand no longer meets the legal standard, even if nothing happens.
The 11% Excise Tax on Firearms and Ammunition
Assembly Bill 28 added an 11% state excise tax on the retail sale of firearms, ammunition, and firearm precursor parts starting July 1, 2024.8LegiScan. Bill Text: CA AB28 2023-2024 Regular Session Chaptered It stacks on top of the federal excise tax and California sales tax, so the total tax burden on a firearm or ammunition purchase in the state is substantial. Licensed dealers, manufacturers, and ammunition vendors collect it at the point of sale, and the revenue flows into the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund.9California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Firearm Excise Tax Law Section 36005 A legal challenge is pending, but no court has blocked the tax as of early 2026.
Ammunition, Handgun, and Long Gun Purchase Changes
Several recent laws have tightened purchases.
Ammunition Eligibility Check Fee
Every ammunition purchase requires a point-of-sale eligibility check. As of July 1, 2025, the fee for a Standard Ammunition Eligibility Check and a Certificate of Eligibility verification rose from $1 to $5 per transaction under Penal Code section 30370.10State of California Department of Justice. Regulations: Ammunition Purchase Fee For frequent buyers, the added cost compounds quickly.
One Handgun Per 30 Days, Now Including Private Sales
California has long limited handgun purchases to one per 30-day period. AB 1483, effective January 1, 2025, closed the private party loophole. A handgun bought through a private sale now counts toward the 30-day limit. Narrow exceptions still exist for private transfers where the seller is legally required to relinquish firearms (such as by court order) and for transfers after the owner’s death.11State of California Department of Justice. New Firearm and Weapon Laws
Hunting License Verification for Buyers Under 21
California generally bars firearm sales to people under 21, with an exception for buyers 18 and older who have a valid hunting license and are purchasing a long gun (not a handgun, semiautomatic centerfire rifle, or precursor part). As of October 1, 2024, dealers must electronically report hunting license information through the Dealer Record of Sale Entry System, and the DOJ must be able to verify the license. If verification fails, the sale is canceled.12State of California Department of Justice. Regulations: Verification of Hunting Licenses
Merchant Category Codes
AB 1587, effective May 1, 2025, requires payment processors to assign a dedicated merchant category code to firearms retailers. The Attorney General can bring civil enforcement actions against noncompliant companies, with penalties up to $10,000 per violation.11State of California Department of Justice. New Firearm and Weapon Laws
Ghost Guns and Home Manufacturing
Anyone who builds or assembles a firearm without a valid serial number must apply to the Department of Justice for a unique serial number and engrave or permanently affix it to the frame or receiver within 10 days of completion. People who already owned homemade unserialized firearms had until January 1, 2024 to apply for a serial number. After that date, knowingly possessing an unserialized firearm is a criminal offense, punishable by up to one year in county jail and a $1,000 fine for handguns, or up to six months and $1,000 for other firearms.13California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 29180
Firearm precursor parts, such as unfinished frames and receivers, are regulated much like completed firearms. Buying or transferring them requires a background check and must go through a licensed dealer.
California also regulates the tools used to make guns at home. Penal Code section 29010 prohibits using a 3D printer to manufacture a firearm without a state-issued manufacturer’s license, and section 29185 bars using a CNC milling machine to manufacture a firearm or precursor part without a federal firearms manufacturing license. Together, those provisions effectively confine home gunsmithing with modern fabrication tools to licensed manufacturers.
Gun Violence Restraining Orders
California’s gun violence restraining order (GVRO) law lets a court temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a danger to themselves or others. Assembly Bill 2621, enacted in 2024, expanded guidance for law enforcement and linked GVRO procedures more closely to domestic violence protective orders.14State of California Department of Justice. 2026-DLE-06 New Mandates and Resources Related to Gun Violence Restraining Orders
A wide range of people can petition for a GVRO, including immediate family members, current or former roommates (with at least a year of substantial interaction), employers, coworkers with employer approval, school employees or teachers with administrator approval (if the person attended within the last six months), law enforcement officers, people in a dating relationship with the subject, and people who share a child with the subject.15California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 18150 Emergency orders take effect immediately and last until a hearing. After a full hearing, a judge can issue a GVRO lasting one to five years, with renewal available. The subject must surrender all firearms and ammunition and cannot buy new ones while the order is in effect.14State of California Department of Justice. 2026-DLE-06 New Mandates and Resources Related to Gun Violence Restraining Orders
Federal Marijuana Rule Still Applies
State law is only half the picture. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(3), it is a federal crime for anyone who is an “unlawful user of or addicted to” a controlled substance to possess a firearm.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Marijuana is still Schedule I federally, regardless of California legalization. In January 2026 the ATF narrowed its regulatory definition of “unlawful user” to require evidence of regular use over an extended period continuing into the present, rather than isolated or sporadic use.17Federal Register. Revising Definition of Unlawful User of or Addicted to Controlled Substance Regular marijuana users who own firearms still face a potential federal felony charge, and the ATF Form 4473 completed at every dealer purchase asks the question directly.
Other 2025 and 2026 Changes to Know
- AB 725, effective July 1, 2026, extends the requirement to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement so it explicitly covers frames, receivers, and firearm precursor parts, not just completed guns.11State of California Department of Justice. New Firearm and Weapon Laws
- AB 574, effective March 1, 2025, requires firearm purchasers to acknowledge on the record of sale that they have confirmed possession of every firearm they already own within the past 30 days.11State of California Department of Justice. New Firearm and Weapon Laws
- AB 1598, effective January 1, 2025, directs the DOJ to make a multilingual pamphlet available explaining the risks of bringing a firearm into the home, including elevated risks of suicide, homicide, and accidental injury.
California’s firearms rules shift often, and pending court orders can change which provisions are actually enforceable on any given day. The California Attorney General’s Office maintains a running list of new firearm laws on its website; check it before making a purchase, applying for a permit, or changing how you store firearms at home.