California Attorney General Rob Bonta has released an informational bulletin outlining two new laws aimed at addressing ghost guns and illegal firearm manufacturing. The bulletin is intended to inform stakeholders and the public about Assembly Bill 1263 (Gipson, 2025) and Senate Bill 704 (Arreguín, 2025), which will take effect on January 1, 2026.
“For the California Department of Justice, public safety is priority number one, two, and three. California has made enormous long-term progress on gun safety and has transformed from a state with one of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation to one of the lowest, in part due to our nation-leading gun laws,” said Attorney General Bonta. “With these new laws, California demands transparency from sellers of products commonly used to manufacture ghost guns or other illegal weapons and adds new requirements that protect consumers. I urge firearm dealers, manufacturers, consumers, and others — both within California and outside of it — to review today’s bulletin and ensure they come into compliance with these new laws coming into effect on January 1st.”
Ghost guns are firearms made without valid serial numbers by individuals who are not licensed manufacturers. In recent years, there has been an increase in the sale of products that enable unlicensed assembly or production of firearms without background checks or serial numbers. These activities have allowed some businesses to bypass regulations required for licensed firearm sales and have misled consumers about legal risks associated with certain purchases.
The new legislation expands existing state measures by establishing rules such as age verification for buyers of certain firearm-related products, consumer notification requirements regarding lawful use, and updated definitions for terms like “firearm accessory” under the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act. It also introduces criminal penalties for facilitating unlawful manufacturing and extends prohibitions on possession or acquisition of firearms for those convicted of related offenses.
Attorney General Bonta emphasized ongoing efforts against ghost guns. “In 2024, he issued a groundbreaking report on California’s efforts to address the threat of ghost guns, and this year he sponsored AB 1263 based on recommendations in that report. Last year, he joined a coalition urging the United States Supreme Court to protect communities from ghost guns and announced a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the California Department of Justice, the San Francisco District Attorney, and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, barring ghost gun companies from manufacturing or selling unserialized ghost gun kits and firearm precursor parts in California. Attorney General Bonta also obtained a favorable court decision requiring the federal government to regulate certain AR-type partially complete receivers as firearms under the federal Gun Control Act.”
The California Attorney General’s office serves as the state’s chief law enforcement authority. It enforces state laws statewide while providing legal representation and advancing policies related to civil rights and consumer protection across California’s executive branch.
More information about policies designed to address ghost guns can be found in the state’s Ghost Gun Laws Reference Guide.