By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—10 legislatures are already in session; California: Assembly Committee on Public Safety will reconsider AB1092; Colorado: New gun control measures await consideration; Illinois: Firearms industry under attack;; New Hampshire: The New Hampshire House approved an amended HB609 on the first day of the 2026 session; North Carolina: Another vote on SB50, the Constitutional Carry Bill.
State Legislation
The following legislatures have already opened their legislative sessions:
January 5, 2026: California, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Wisconsin
January 6, 2026: Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island
January 7, 2026: Missouri and Nebraska
California: Next week Assembly Committee on Public Safety will reconsider AB1092, legislation that extends the validity period of Carry Concealed Weapons (CCW) licenses. They are meeting only to vote on Jan. 13. This is a reconsideration of the bill that would extend the Right-to-Carry licenses. The current term is two years, and AB1092 would extend that to three years.
Colorado: The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO.org) sent out an announcement warning their members:
The Second Regular Session of the 75th Colorado General Assembly is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 14. They express concern that lawmakers will consider new gun control measures aimed at restricting Second Amendment rights. Adding that these proposed actions could make law-abiding citizens more vulnerable to crime by limiting their ability to defend themselves. The message also claims that political and financial interests, including those linked to Michael Bloomberg, are backing these efforts to tighten gun laws in Colorado.
Illinois: This state legislature, supported by potential Presidential candidate Governor J.B. Pritzker, is trying to weaken firearms manufacturers. Glock has given in to pressure from lawsuits and legislative threats, claiming that some of their pistols are “unreasonably dangerous” because they can be easily converted to full-auto with third-party “Glock switches.” The City of Chicago’s 2024 lawsuit, along with a multistate attorneys general letter, explicitly argues that Glock should modify its designs to make switches harder to use and warns of further lawsuits if the company does not comply. Gun-control groups like Everytown have publicly celebrated reports that Glock will stop making “easily modifiable” pistols and will move to redesigned models, saying this is the result of “years of pressure” to change the guns.
In 2023, the state passed the Firearms Industry Responsibility Act (FIRA), claiming to find a workaround to the PLCAA by allowing lawsuits against the firearm industry under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Firearm dealers and manufacturers, who already face significant restrictions on marketing opportunities in Illinois, can now be sued in the state for certain marketing activities related to firearms, accessories, or firearm-related products. The law’s definitions are intentionally vague and broad, requiring firearm manufacturers to implement unspecified “reasonable controls” to prevent criminal use of firearms.
However, FIRA, according to the anti-Second Amendment cabal, was and still is inadequate. Anthony Douglas, a resident doctor at the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center, is described as the “architect of a policy experiment,” according to a report from The Trace. He suggests that the firearms industry should fund healthcare costs to obtain a license to operate in the state. The licensing fees paid by firearm companies would be based on how often related firearms are recovered in incidents, crimes, and suicides. This would be in addition to the existing certification by the Illinois State Police, which costs $1,200 along with other requirements listed in a lengthy set of regulations.
Current Illinois law mandates that all federally licensed firearms dealers and retailers be certified by the Illinois State Police, which involves completing a dealer training program for “all owners, agents, and employees engaged in the transferring of firearms,” paying $1,200 for retail locations, and adhering to other requirements listed in a detailed set of rules.
During the 2025 legislative session, Dr. Douglas introduced the Responsibility in Firearm Legislation Act (RIFL) as a policy experiment. The anti-Second Amendment lobby views this legislation as a way to bypass the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) protections in Illinois while also serving as a “hopeful trajectory” and a roadmap for other states to follow. Dr. Douglas has stated that the RIFL is intentionally designed to avoid the PLCAA. Although it did not make significant progress during the 2025 legislative session, support for the RIFL framework is gradually growing as an increasing number of Illinois lawmakers show interest in its adoption. Additionally, the RIFL has gained attention from other states with similar concerns. Dr. Douglas emphasized that “this is designed to avoid PLCAA.”
New Hampshire: The New Hampshire House approved an amended HB609 on the first day of the 2026 session. The bill consolidates nearly all weapons regulation under the state legislature and significantly restricts local or executive branch authority. It now proceeds to the state Senate.
The primary changes:
- The bill creates extensive state preemption, removing cities, towns, and counties’ authority to regulate the possession, sale, use, or taxation of firearms and ammunition.
- As amended, it further preempts not only political subdivisions but also state agencies, so only the New Hampshire legislature may regulate in this area.
North Carolina: The fate of SB50, the Constitutional Carry Bill, might be decided on Monday, January 12. Last July, the Senate overrode Governor Josh Stein’s veto of the bill. However, the House has had difficulty securing the votes needed to override. Votes were scheduled and rescheduled several times last year. The current North Carolina legislative session is the 2025–26 biennial session of the General Assembly, which runs through the end of 2026, with scheduled dates for reconvening through April 2026, when the 2026 “short session” will begin.
