By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Already-beleaguered California gun owners are about to face more restrictions on their Second Amendment rights in 2026, and anti-gun Democrats in Sacramento do not appear to be slowing down.
As outlined by the GVWire, several more gun laws kick in over the next six months, including a new “safe storage” mandate (SB 53), and a ban on certain handguns (AB 1127), specifically Glocks, which can be illegally converted to fire full-auto (effective July 1, 2026).
Starting April 1—a date known for generations as “April Fool’s Day—firearms purchases will be limited to three per month. This law was quickly passed after a court ruling struck down the one-gun-per-month restriction. (AB 1078)
Firearms transactions, “including barrel guns and 3D-printed guns” must be conducted through licensed dealers. “Private barrel sales will no longer be allowed. A later phase, beginning July 1, 2027, will require background checks and registration.” (SB 704 and AB 1263)
Another new law (AB 725) has new requirements for reporting lost or stolen firearms and gun parts.
The ‘Plus Side’
On the plus side for gun owners nationwide, the new year will bring relief from the $200 federal tax stamp requirement for firearms regulated under the 90-year-old National Firearms Act. The tax wass eliminated by the Republican-controlled Congress earlier this year, although many gun owners remain miffed that the entire NFA registration requirement wasn’t eliminated.
Elsewhere
Across the country, Maine Public Radio notes Gov. Janet Mills will allow a new requirement for serial numbers to take effect in January, without her signature. As noted in the report, “While the window has passed for Mills to sign those bills into law, they can go into effect without her signature when the Legislature returns in January.”
In Illinois, a new storage requirement signed by Gov. JB Pritzker (Senate Bill 8). Lost or stolen guns must be reported within 48 hours of the loss discovery. The storage law requires gun owners to keep their firearms secured so they may not be accessible by minors, “at risk” individuals or people prohibited from possessing firearms.
