Governor Newsom signs new bills to further prevent gun violence and strengthen California’s gun safety leadership
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Sep 26, 2026

Governor Newsom signs new bills to further prevent gun violence and strengthen California's gun safety leadership

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed a package of gun safety bills strengthening California's approach to preventing gun violence.

SACRAMENTO – Continuing California's work to prevent gun violence which has made the state #1 in gun safety, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a package of new gun safety bills.

The new laws help improve enforcement of existing firearm prohibitions, expand safe-storage tools, support survivors and communities, and address emerging threats from new technologies.

California has been a leader in gun safety because survivors, advocates, researchers, law enforcement, legislators and communities have continued to come together to turn hard-earned lessons into action. Today's laws continue that work – using data, prevention and proven tools to help keep firearms out of dangerous situations and support communities affected by violence.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The legislation signed today includes:
  • Assembly Bill 1743 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) — Firearms
  • Assembly Bill 1753 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — Protective orders: firearms and ammunition: notice and procedures
  • Assembly Bill 1943 by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) — Pupil safety: notifications: firearms
  • Assembly Bill 1974 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) — Firearms: voluntary firearm storage program
  • Assembly Bill 2047 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) — 3-dimensional printing blocking technology
  • Assembly Bill 2339 by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) — Firearms: prohibited persons
  • Assembly Bill 2378 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) — California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program
  • Assembly Bill 2636 by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey) — Juveniles
  • Senate Bill 948 by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) — Firearms: safety certificates
  • Senate Bill 1220 by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) — Firearms: prohibited persons

Strengthening California's leadership

Together, the bills strengthen California's approach to violence prevention by:

✅ Improving prevention and early intervention through protective orders, secure storage and voluntary firearm storage.
✅ Strengthening enforcement by improving firearm-prohibition reporting, background checks and firearm surrender procedures.
✅ Closing information gaps by expanding appropriate access to firearms trace data and improving reporting to the California Department of Justice.
✅ Addressing emerging threats including 3D-printed firearms and illegally modified and unserialized firearms.
✅ Supporting survivors and communities by expanding behavioral health services for young people exposed to gun violence.

Building on what works

In 2025, Governor Newsom launched Reduce the Risk, a statewide public awareness campaign led by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to increase awareness of California's nine available protection orders and help prevent gun violence before it occurs. Yesterday, leaders across the gun-violence prevention system gathered in Sacramento, focusing on the 10-year history of California's gun violence restraining order (GVRO) law and opportunities to strengthen statewide implementation.

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Through this initiative, California has conducted more than 130 trainings and connected Californians with more than 700 resources on the state's nine violence-prevention protection orders – reaching millions of Californians in total. In addition, the state's new Local Resource Connector is an interactive tool that helps Californians help find local courts, support services, and community organizations that can assist with filing protection orders and accessing violence prevention resources.

These tools are proven to prevent tragedy — there have been significant increases in utilization of GVROs and, in the first three years of their existence, these protection orders were used to prevent 58 cases of threatened mass shootings. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of longer-term GVROs issued each year in California more than doubled. In 2024 alone, California courts issued GVROs against 1,727 individuals found to pose a significant danger of firearm violence toward themselves or others.

California's gun-safety strategy extends beyond legislation. The state has continued investing in community-based violence prevention, intervention and public-safety programs to expand violence-interruption programs, support people at elevated risk of violence and strengthen local public-safety efforts.

A comprehensive approach

California continues to be recognized for the strength of its gun-safety laws. Both the Giffords Law Center and Everytown for Gun Safety rank California No. 1 nationally for gun-law strength.
The state's outcomes provide additional context for that leadership:
  • #1 state in the nation for gun law strength and effectiveness
  • California's gun death rate reached its lowest level on record in 2024 — 49% below the rest of the nation
  • 19% fewer firearm homicides reported by California law enforcement in 2025 compared to the previous year
  • Four California cities — San Jose, Bakersfield, Fresno and San Diego — led the nation's 50 largest cities in reducing gun violence victimization from 2021 to 2025
  • Nearly 160,000 lives could have been saved nationwide over the past decade if every state matched California's gun death rate
  • California's firearm homicide rate for young men and boys was nearly 50% lower than the rest of the nation.
  • 17% fewer ghost guns recovered as crime guns in 2025, bringing the decline since 2021 to 37%
  • 42%of firearms recovered and traced in California in 2025 originated from out-of-state dealers

Learn more about California's nation-leading gun safety laws at the 2026 fact sheet and available resources at gunsafety.ca.gov.

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