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Measure AB 1187
Authors Celeste Rodriguez  
Subject Firearms: safety certificates.
Relating To relating to firearms.
Title An act to amend Sections 27560 and 31615 of, and to add Section 31640.5 to, the Penal Code, relating to firearms.
Last Action Dt 2025-04-10
State Amended Assembly
Status In Committee Process
Active? Y
Vote Required Majority
Appropriation No
Fiscal Committee Yes
Local Program Yes
Substantive Changes None
Urgency No
Tax Levy No
Leginfo Link Bill
Actions
2025-05-23     In committee: Held under submission.
2025-04-30     In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
2025-04-21     Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-10     Read second time and amended.
2025-04-09     From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (April 8).
2025-03-10     Referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-02-24     Read first time.
2025-02-22     From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.
2025-02-21     Introduced. To print.
Keywords
Tags
Versions
Amended Assembly     2025-04-10
Introduced     2025-02-21
Last Version Text
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				<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez</ns0:AuthorText>
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				<ns0:Name>Celeste Rodriguez</ns0:Name>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 27560 and 31615 of, and to add Section 31640.5 to, the Penal Code, relating to firearms.</ns0:Title>
		<ns0:RelatingClause>firearms</ns0:RelatingClause>
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			<ns0:Subject>Firearms: safety certificates.</ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Existing law requires any person who purchases or receives a firearm to possess a firearm safety certificate. Existing law also prohibits a person from selling or transferring a firearm to any person who does not possess a firearm safety certificate. A violation of either of these provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. Existing law requires a personal firearm importer, within 60 days of bringing any firearm into this state, to, among other things, submit a report including information concerning that individual and a description of the firearm in question to the Department of Justice. Existing law generally makes a violation of the Penal Code a misdemeanor.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would also require that personal firearm importer to obtain a valid
			 firearm safety certificate and include a copy of the valid firearm safety certificate within the report. The bill would prohibit a person from bringing a firearm into this state without obtaining a valid firearm safety certificate within 60 days, except as specified. By creating a new prohibition, this bill would create a new crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
			<html:p>Existing law requires an applicant for a firearm
			 safety certificate to pass a test developed by the Department of Justice covering specified subjects, including, among others, the laws applicable to carrying and handling firearms and the responsibilities of ownership of firearms.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would require an applicant for a firearm safety certificate, on or after July 1, 2027, to complete a training course no less than 8 hours in length that, among other things, includes instruction on firearm safety and handling and live-fire shooting exercises on a firing range. The bill would authorize the Department of Justice to promulgate
			 regulations and provide additional information for the implementation of this subdivision.</html:p>
			<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.</html:p>
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		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 27560 of the 
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				 is amended to read:
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					<ns0:Num>27560.</ns0:Num>
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								(a)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Within 60 days after bringing any firearm into this state, a personal firearm importer, as defined in Section 17000, shall do one of the following:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Submit to the Department of Justice, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, a report including information concerning that individual and a description of the firearm in question. The department may request photographs of the firearm to determine if the firearm is a generally prohibited weapon, assault weapon, or machinegun, or is
						otherwise prohibited. A person shall not furnish a fictitious name or address, knowingly furnish any incorrect information, or knowingly omit any information required to be provided in this report. A personal firearm importer shall obtain a valid firearm safety certificate, pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 31615, and include a copy of the valid firearm safety certificate within the report.
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								(B)
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								Sell or transfer the firearm in accordance with the provisions of Section 27545 or in accordance with the provisions of an exemption from Section 27545.
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								(C)
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								Sell or transfer the firearm to a dealer licensed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 26700) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 26800) of Chapter 2.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(D)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Sell or transfer the firearm to a sheriff or police department.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The department shall establish a fee for submission of the form described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) and an additional fee for each additional firearm. This fee shall not exceed the reasonable and actual costs of processing the form submitted pursuant to that paragraph. The department may annually review and adjust this fee to fully fund, but not exceed, these costs.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Upon receipt of the report submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) and the required fee, the department shall examine its records, as well as those records that it is authorized to request from the State Department of State Hospitals pursuant to Section 8104 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and records
						available to the department in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, to determine if the purchaser is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								If all of the following requirements are satisfied, the personal firearm importer shall have complied with the provisions of this section:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The personal firearm importer sells or transfers the firearm pursuant to Section 27545.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The sale or transfer cannot be completed by the dealer to the purchaser or transferee.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The firearm can be returned to the personal firearm importer.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The provisions of this section are cumulative and shall not be construed as restricting the application of any other law.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								However, an act or omission punishable in different ways by this article and different provisions of the Penal Code shall not be punished under more than one provision.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(d)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The department shall conduct a public education and notification program regarding this section to ensure a high degree of publicity of the provisions of this section.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(e)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								As part of the public education and notification program described in this section, the department shall do all of the following:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Work in conjunction with
						the Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure that any person who is subject to this section is advised of the provisions of this section, and provided with blank copies of the report described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), at the time when that person applies for a California driver’s license or registers a motor vehicle in accordance with the Vehicle Code.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Make the reports referred to in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) available to dealers licensed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 26700) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 26800) of Chapter 2.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Make the reports referred to in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) available to law enforcement agencies.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(4)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Make persons subject to the provisions of this section aware of all of the following:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The report referred to in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) may be completed at either a law enforcement agency or the licensed premises of a dealer licensed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 26700) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 26800) of Chapter 2.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(B)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								It is advisable to do so for the sake of accuracy and
						completeness of the report.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(C)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Before transporting a firearm to a law enforcement agency to comply with subdivision (a), the person should give notice to the law enforcement agency that the person is doing so.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(D)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								In any event, the handgun should be transported unloaded and in a locked container and a firearm that is not a handgun should be transported unloaded.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(f)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Any costs incurred by the department to implement this section shall be absorbed by the department within its existing budget and the fees in the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account allocated for implementation of subdivisions (d) and (e) of this section pursuant to Section 28235.
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			<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 31615 of the 
				<ns0:DocName>Penal Code</ns0:DocName>
				 is amended to read:
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					<ns0:Num>31615.</ns0:Num>
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								(a)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A person shall not do any of the following:
							</html:p>
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								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Purchase or receive any firearm, except an antique firearm, without a valid firearm safety certificate, except that in the case of a handgun, an unexpired handgun safety certificate may be used.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Sell, deliver, loan, or transfer any firearm, except an antique firearm, to any person who does not have a valid firearm safety certificate, except that in the case of a handgun, an unexpired handgun
						safety certificate may be used.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Bring any firearm, except an antique firearm, into this state without obtaining a valid firearm safety certificate within 60 days of bringing that firearm into this state if the person is required to report the importation of the firearm to the department pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 27560.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Any person who violates paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) is guilty of a misdemeanor.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The provisions of this section are cumulative, and shall not be construed as restricting the application of any other law. However, an act or omission punishable in
						different ways by different provisions of this code shall not be punished under more than one provision.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(d)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) shall not apply to a person if evidence of that violation arises only as the result of the person applying for a firearm safety certificate after the expiration of the 60-day period in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).
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			<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 31640.5 is added to the 
				<ns0:DocName>Penal Code</ns0:DocName>
				, to read:
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					<ns0:Num>31640.5.</ns0:Num>
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								(a)
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								An applicant for a firearm safety certificate on or after July 1, 2027, shall have completed a training course that meets all of the following conditions:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The training shall be no less than eight hours in length, including at least one hour of live shooting.
							</html:p>
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								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The training shall include instruction on all of the following:
							</html:p>
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								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Federal and state laws related to possession, transportation, and storage of firearms.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(B)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The importance of secure storage to prevent unauthorized access
						and use of firearms.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(C)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Safe firearm handling and fundamentals of shooting firearms.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(D)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Risks of firearms and causes of accidents.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(E)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								How to legally relinquish or transfer a firearm.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(F)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								State laws pertaining to self-defense and techniques for conflict resolution.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(G)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Mental health, suicide prevention, and domestic violence issues associated with firearms and firearm violence.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The training shall be taught and supervised by firearms instructors certified by the Department of Justice pursuant to Section 31635 and in a manner to be
						prescribed by regulation.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(4)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The live-fire shooting exercises shall take place on a firing range and shall include a demonstration by the applicant of safe handling of firearms and basic firearm shooting proficiency.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								This subdivision does not apply to persons properly identified pursuant to Section 31700.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The Department of Justice may promulgate regulations and provide additional information for the implementation of this subdivision.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(d)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account may be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for any costs associated with this law’s implementation and ongoing expenses.
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			<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
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					No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
					<html:span class="ThinSpace"/>
					B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
					<html:span class="ThinSpace"/>
					B of the California Constitution.
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Last Version Text Digest Existing law requires any person who purchases or receives a firearm to possess a firearm safety certificate. Existing law also prohibits a person from selling or transferring a firearm to any person who does not possess a firearm safety certificate. A violation of either of these provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. Existing law requires a personal firearm importer, within 60 days of bringing any firearm into this state, to, among other things, submit a report including information concerning that individual and a description of the firearm in question to the Department of Justice. Existing law generally makes a violation of the Penal Code a misdemeanor. This bill would also require that personal firearm importer to obtain a valid firearm safety certificate and include a copy of the valid firearm safety certificate within the report. The bill would prohibit a person from bringing a firearm into this state without obtaining a valid firearm safety certificate within 60 days, except as specified. By creating a new prohibition, this bill would create a new crime and therefore impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires an applicant for a firearm safety certificate to pass a test developed by the Department of Justice covering specified subjects, including, among others, the laws applicable to carrying and handling firearms and the responsibilities of ownership of firearms. This bill would require an applicant for a firearm safety certificate, on or after July 1, 2027, to complete a training course no less than 8 hours in length that, among other things, includes instruction on firearm safety and handling and live-fire shooting exercises on a firing range. The bill would authorize the Department of Justice to promulgate regulations and provide additional information for the implementation of this subdivision.