California: Legislature Continues Anti-Gun Push as Crossover Deadline Hits

Today, Friday, May 29^th marks the "crossover" deadline for the California Legislature, meaning that all non-fiscal bills must be passed out of their house of origin in order to continue through the legislative process. Both the Senate and Assembly, as expected, ensured that the most egregious anti-Second Amendment bills met this deadline. The bills will now be transferred to the second chamber where they will receive a committee referral and continue the process. 

Bills passed by the chamber of origin: 

Assembly Bill 1743, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-AD14), would expand the state’s firearm owner data-sharing framework by increasing access to information maintained in California’s Automated Firearms System and related databases. Expanding this system raises significant concerns given California’s track record of protecting firearm owner data. In 2022, the California Department of Justice exposed the personal information of thousands of firearm owners and concealed carry permit holders in a widely reported data breach.

Assembly Bill 1753, authored by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-AD19), would “clarify” California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) violation framework by explicitly subjecting ammunition possession to the same hearing and enforcement procedures currently applied to firearms. Red flag laws have repeatedly stripped law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights while undermining basic due process protections. Existing red flag laws in California should not be expanded under the guise of “clarification,” but repealed.

Assembly Bill 1974, authored by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-AD19), is framed as a "voluntary" firearm storage measure, but expands government involvement in the custody and disposition of lawfully owned firearms. AB 1974 creates another pathway through which law-abiding Californians may face administrative hurdles when seeking the return of their property. The bill's destruction provisions and reliance on California's existing firearm-release bureaucracy raises concerns that firearms surrendered for temporary safekeeping could become difficult or costly to recover. 

Assembly Bill 2047, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-AD16), prohibits the sale or transfer of 3-dimensional printers unless equipped with so-called "firearm blocking technology”, now amended to read “firearm blueprint detection algorithms”, designed to detect and prevent the printing of known firearm blueprint designs. Further, AB 2047 mandates that all certified manufactures of 3-D printers be listed on the California Department of Justice's website and creates a criminal offense for knowingly facilitating the circumvention of firearm blocking technology. This sweeping regulation that presents both First and Second Amendment concerns, also requires manufactures to submit models for state approval and certification.

Senate Bill 948, authored by Senator Jesse Arreguin (D-SD7), would dramatically expand California’s Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) requirements by mandating a minimum four-hour training course beginning in 2028, including live-fire exercises and state-prescribed classroom instruction. The bill also imposes a new mandate on individuals moving into California. SB 948 reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of crime and public safety; Crimes are not committed because of a lack of state-prescribed classroom mandates and further burdening law-abiding Californians will offer no meaningful solution to violent crime. 

Senate Bill 1220, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-SD16), seeks to add a new firearm-prohibiting misdemeanor to California's list of offenses that trigger a 10-year firearm prohibition. Specifically, a person convicted of possessing, selling, transferring, or otherwise dealing with a firearm that has had its identifying marks or serial number altered. While existing law already makes it a misdemeanor to possess or transfer a firearm with such traits, this bill expands California's ever-growing list of misdemeanor offenses that can result in the loss of constitutional rights. 

Please stay tuned to your inbox and www.nraila.org as your National Rifle Association continues to fight for your Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Sacramento.