The Wire · CalGunHub

Storage mandate and protective-order firearms rules take effect Jan. 1, 2026

Published January 1, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

SB 53's residential storage mandate, SB 899's relinquishment procedures and AB 3064's safety-device rules all became operative Jan. 1, 2026.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: SB 53 applies to people who possess firearms in a California residence: since Jan. 1, 2026, the statute requires secure storage when a firearm is not carried or readily controlled, with infraction penalties escalating to a misdemeanor for a third violation. SB 899 applies to people subject to specified protective orders, and AB 3064 affects safety-device manufacturers and certain importers and transfers. This is general information, not legal advice.

Several firearms statutes with delayed operative dates took effect Jan. 1, 2026, according to California Department of Justice bulletins and legislative records.

SB 53 by Sen. Anthony Portantino, signed Sept. 24, 2024 (Chapter 542, Statutes of 2024), requires that firearms possessed in a residence be securely stored, either locked or disabled with a certified safety device or kept in a compliant gun safe, when not carried or readily controlled. A first or second violation is an infraction; a third or subsequent violation is a misdemeanor.

SB 899 (2024, Chapter 545) also took effect Jan. 1, 2026, extending firearm and ammunition relinquishment procedures to additional protective orders and authorizing search warrants for non-relinquishment. AB 3064 (2024, Chapter 540) took effect the same day, adding roster requirements and fees for firearm safety devices and new import and transfer report rules.

Laws signed in 2025 that also became effective Jan. 1, 2026 include AB 383 (Chapter 362, armed-prohibited-persons notification and caseload), AB 1363 (Chapter 574, Wyland's Law, on firearms prohibition violations), AB 1344 (Chapter 573, creating a gun violence restraining order pilot program whose data reporting starts April 1, 2027), AB 584 (Chapter 40, secure facility doors), and the concealed-carry provisions of AB 1078.

KRCR covered the storage law's effect on North Coast gun owners in a Dec. 29, 2025 report, highlighting the approaching deadline for households with firearms.

Update: A further AB 1078 provision, the three-firearms-per-30-day purchase limit, followed on April 1, 2026, and the DOJ detailed the January changes in Bulletin 2026-DLE-02 issued Jan. 30, 2026.

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