The Wire · CalGunHub

Newsom signs SB 948, phasing in 4-hour training for firearm safety certificates

Published September 26, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

The law adds a live-fire training course for certificate applicants in 2029 and a certification step for new residents importing firearms in 2028.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: For Californians seeking a firearm safety certificate, SB 948 phases in two changes rather than imposing them immediately. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, people who move into the state with firearms must attest under penalty of perjury to holding a valid certificate or an exemption, and the window to report imported firearms grows from 60 to 180 days. Starting Jan. 1, 2029, certificate applicants must finish a qualifying four-hour course with live-fire exercises within the prior year. The Department of Justice and training providers are expected to implement the details; the chaptered text on leginfo governs specifics. This is general information, not legal advice.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 948 on Sept. 26, 2026, and it was chaptered the same day as Chapter 465 of the Statutes of 2026. The author is Sen. Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley), who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee, with Sen. Richardson as coauthor. The Senate approved the final Assembly amendments 28-12 on Aug. 25, and the bill was enrolled Aug. 30.

Under the chaptered text, which amends Penal Code sections 27560, 28235 and 31615 and adds section 31640.5, applicants for a firearm safety certificate will have to complete, within the year before applying, a training course of no less than four hours covering firearm safety and handling instruction plus live-fire exercises conducted on a shooting range. That requirement begins on or after Jan. 1, 2029, per the Legislative Counsel's Digest. CalMatters reported the course requirement will apply to current residents buying new guns starting in 2029.

A second provision starts earlier. Starting Jan. 1, 2028, a personal firearm importer, generally a person who moves to California bringing firearms, must attest under penalty of perjury to holding a valid certificate or qualifying for an exemption. The bill also lengthens the import reporting window from 60 days to 180 days and classifies specified violations as infractions.

The training mandate narrowed during the session. Earlier versions called for an eight-hour course, according to testimony cited by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, before amendments set the floor at four hours. Brady, which sponsored the bill, applauded the signature. The California Rifle and Pistol Association opposed the measure, arguing in an opposition letter quoted by CalMatters that "Public safety is better served by enforcing existing laws against prohibited persons, prosecuting violent criminals, and supporting voluntary education programs."

SB 948 was one of 10 firearms bills Newsom signed Sept. 26. As a non-urgency statute it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, while its two central obligations begin in 2028 and 2029.

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