The Wire · CalGunHub

AB 1753, the Pathways to Safety Act, revises firearm surrender under protective orders

Published September 26, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

The Stefani omnibus strengthens surrender requirements covering firearms and ammunition for people subject to qualifying protective orders, including GVROs.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: Starting Jan. 1, 2027, AB 1753 affects people who become subject to qualifying protective orders, including gun violence restraining orders, and who have demonstrated dangerous behavior: the revised statutes provide for surrender of ammunition alongside firearms and for closer coordination between courts and law enforcement on compliance and notice. It also touches court clerks, sheriffs and police agencies that handle surrender logistics. The bill does not change how ordinary transfers or possession work outside protective-order proceedings. Anyone served with an order should read its terms carefully and review the chaptered statutes for the procedures that apply. This is general information, not legal advice.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1753 on Sept. 26, 2026, and it was chaptered the same day as Chapter 458 of the Statutes of 2026. The author is Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), with Sen. Blakespear as principal coauthor and 10 Assembly coauthors. Stefani calls the measure the Pathways to Safety Act, and it belonged to the nine-bill 2026 package assembled by the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group. The Assembly concurred 63-5 on Aug. 27, and the bill was enrolled Sept. 4.

The omnibus amends and adds provisions across the Code of Civil Procedure, the Family Code, the Government Code and the Penal Code, including sections 18120, 29805 and 29825 and new sections 136.26 and 29813.5. According to the Desert Sun, people under qualifying protective orders who have shown dangerous behavior will have to give up ammunition as well as firearms, and the bill improves coordination between courts and law enforcement on enforcing surrenders and on notice procedures. The order types covered include gun violence restraining orders.

Because the bill spans several codes, its changes operate in different settings: civil protective-order proceedings, family court, and criminal cases. The unifying theme is that an order subject's weapons and ammunition are addressed together, and that courts and agencies share information so surrender terms are carried out.

AB 1753 was one of 10 firearms-related bills signed Sept. 26. It is a non-urgency measure and takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Its final reach is defined by the chaptered text on the state's legislative information site, which lists each amended and added section.

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.