The Wire · CalGunHub

AB 1974 authorizes voluntary firearm storage programs at police agencies

Published September 26, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

Local law enforcement agencies may set up programs where gun owners temporarily hand over firearms for safekeeping, with checks before return.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: AB 1974 creates an option, not a mandate. From Jan. 1, 2027, city and county law enforcement agencies may open voluntary storage programs where an owner can leave firearms temporarily, and the statute spells out database checks, published procedures, eligibility confirmation before return, and destruction of unretrieved firearms after an agency-specified period. Owners considering such a program should read the local agency's published terms, including the retrieval deadline, before transferring custody. Dealers are not involved in these transfers under the bill's exemptions. Availability will vary by jurisdiction because adoption is discretionary. This is general information, not legal advice.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1974 on Sept. 26, 2026, and it was chaptered the same day as Chapter 460 of the Statutes of 2026. The author is Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco). The Assembly concurred 73-2 on Aug. 30, and the bill was enrolled Sept. 10.

The bill adds Penal Code section 25010 and amends sections 25570, 26392, 26406, 26577 and 27922. It lets local law enforcement agencies establish voluntary programs under which a gun owner can temporarily transfer custody of a firearm to the agency for safekeeping, an option supporters describe as useful during personal crises. Participation is voluntary for both agencies and owners, according to the Legislative Counsel's Digest reproduced by the Apple Valley Gun Club.

Agencies that adopt a program must publish procedures both for the voluntary transfer and for requesting the firearm's return. Before accepting a firearm, the agency must check databases to confirm it was not reported lost or stolen and was not involved in a crime. Before returning one, the agency must verify the person's eligibility to possess firearms. If a firearm is not retrieved within the period the agency specifies, the agency must destroy it, except as otherwise provided.

The bill also exempts these voluntary transfers from concealed-carry and open-carry prohibitions and from dealer-transfer requirements that would otherwise complicate a hand-off at a station.

AB 1974 was one of 10 firearms bills signed Sept. 26, and as a non-urgency measure it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Whether any given community sees such a program depends on its local agency choosing to opt in.

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