California’s New Gun Barrel Regulations

Starting January 1, 2026, California will limit gun barrel sales to licensed dealers and mandate background checks for such transactions.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed this regulation into law on October 10, 2025, emphasizing that all sales of gun barrels must occur through licensed firearms dealers. These dealers will now also need to conduct a “qualification test” prior to selling any barrels.

According to the bill’s language, each barrel sale will incur a $5 fee, which will be used to fund “eligibility checks.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a statement confirming that this regulation is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. The law will also revise the definitions of “firearm accessory” and “firearm manufacturing machine.”

Furthermore, the new regulations introduce updated definitions and legal actions for the unauthorized distribution of digital firearm manufacturing codes. They will also establish new criminal offenses related to the illegal manufacturing of firearms on behalf of others.

For online purchases of gun barrels, sellers must ship the barrels to a California-licensed firearms dealer, who will then facilitate the in-person transaction, in accordance with Penal Code Section 33700.

While California has enacted more rigorous gun laws compared to many other states, the FBI reported that the state had the highest rate of “active shooters” in the nation from 2020 to 2024.