The Wire · CalGunHub

Bonta issues bulletin on new ghost-gun laws taking effect Jan. 1, 2026

Published December 23, 2025 · Updated October 12, 2026

The attorney general's Dec. 23, 2025 bulletin summarizes AB 1263 and SB 704 duties for sellers of firearm parts, barrels and accessories.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: The bulletin summarizes duties that apply to California sellers of firearm parts, barrels and accessories under AB 1263 and SB 704, including age verification, buyer notices and shipment restrictions, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Dealers and vendors received the requirements through DOJ's centralized list distribution. Buyers of covered items may encounter new verification steps. This is general information, not legal advice.

Attorney General Rob Bonta released Informational Bulletin 2025-DLE-04 on Dec. 23, 2025, summarizing requirements of AB 1263 and SB 704 ahead of their Jan. 1, 2026 effective dates, according to a Department of Justice press release.

The bulletin covers new obligations on sellers of firearm parts, barrels and accessories, including age verification, notices and restrictions on shipments. The measures are aimed at untraceable self-assembled firearms, an enforcement area the DOJ has prioritized, according to the release.

AB 1263 (Chapter 636, Statutes of 2025), authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson, regulates sales of firearm parts and accessories commonly used to build unserialized firearms, often called ghost guns. The first phase of SB 704 (Chapter 591), authored by Sen. Jesse Arreguin, requires in-person dealer sales of firearm barrels with ID and age verification and ends home delivery of barrels.

Both statutes were chaptered in October 2025 after passing the Legislature during the 2025 session. Bulletins in the DLE series are the department's channel for communicating new statutory duties to the firearms industry, including dealers, manufacturers, exempt federal firearms licensees and ammunition vendors on the centralized list. Philippine News reported on Dec. 31, 2025 that the attorney general was publicizing the incoming rules before they took effect at the start of the new year.

Update: Both laws took effect Jan. 1, 2026. The Department of Justice published its full annual new-laws Bulletin 2026-DLE-02 on Jan. 30, 2026, with implementation details for dealers and vendors covering these and other statutes that became operative at the start of 2026.

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