California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of ten gun safety bills on Saturday, September 26, 2026, in Sacramento, continuing the state's work to prevent gun violence.
"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," Newsom said. "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."
The legislation includes Assembly Bill 1743 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), Assembly Bill 1753 and Assembly Bill 1974 by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), Assembly Bill 1943 and Assembly Bill 2339 by Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), Assembly Bill 2047 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), Assembly Bill 2378 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Assembly Bill 2636 by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey), Senate Bill 948 by Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) and Senate Bill 1220 by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield).
According to the Governor's Office, the bills improve prevention and early intervention through protective orders and secure storage, strengthen enforcement of firearm prohibitions and background checks, close information gaps in firearms trace data, address 3D-printed and unserialized firearms, and expand behavioral health services for young people exposed to gun violence.
The release cited state figures showing California's gun death rate reached its lowest level on record in 2024, 49% below the rest of the nation, and that firearm homicides reported by California law enforcement fell 19% in 2025 compared to the previous year. It said 42% of firearms recovered and traced in California in 2025 originated from out-of-state dealers, and that ghost guns recovered as crime guns declined 17% in 2025, bringing the drop since 2021 to 37%.
The state also pointed to its gun violence restraining order law, now in its tenth year. In 2024 alone, California courts issued GVROs against 1,727 individuals found to pose a significant danger of firearm violence toward themselves or others, and between 2021 and 2024 the number of longer-term GVROs issued each year more than doubled. The release said such orders were used to prevent 58 cases of threatened mass shootings in their first three years.
Both the Giffords Law Center and Everytown for Gun Safety rank California No. 1 nationally for gun-law strength.