Press release from the Office of Attorney General Rob Bonta:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta [on December 23, 2025,] unveiled a new informational bulletin about two newly enacted laws related to ghost guns and illegal firearm manufacturing. The bulletin summarizes the provisions of Assembly Bill 1263 (Gipson, 2025) and Senate Bill 704 (Arreguín, 2025) for the purpose of informing relevant stakeholders and members of the public about new and updated standards, responsibilities, and accountability measures that 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 manufactured without valid serial numbers, typically by individuals who are not licensed to manufacture firearms. Over the past decade, California communities have faced a fast-growing safety threat from the ghost gun industry, which has sold a range of products and services designed to enable unlicensed individuals to assemble or produce firearms without any background check, serial number, or other vital protections. These entities have sought to gain an unfair business advantage over responsible, licensed firearm businesses by selling skip-the-background-check products and services that facilitate the unlawful production of firearms, and the conversion of legal weapons into illegal assault weapons and machine guns. These entities have also induced California consumers to purchase certain firearm-related products while deceptively failing to notify them that it would be a crime to use those products for their intended purpose…