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Last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta dropped a bombshell report that will change how handguns are sold in the state.
The Department of Justice has declared firearm microstamping technology “technologically viable.” That finding clears the path for California’s 2028 mandate requiring all new semiautomatic handguns sold by licensed dealers to be equipped with microstamping components.
Table of contents
What the Report Says
The DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services tested engraved firing pins in semi-auto pistols. According to their report, the pins consistently left microscopic imprints — “microstamps” — on spent cartridge casings. Even when the stamps weren’t perfect, the DOJ claims partial codes could still be used as investigative leads, similar to partial fingerprints or license plates.
The report concludes:
- Microstamped firing pins can reliably mark casings across many firearm models and ammo types.
- Wear and sustained use didn’t fully erase the microstamp data.
- Incomplete stamps could still provide “useful leads” for prosecutors.
What This Means for California Gun Owners
The groundwork for this policy was laid in 2023, when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 452, amending California’s Unsafe Handgun Act. That law required the DOJ to study the tech and set performance standards.
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Now that DOJ has declared microstamping viable, the clock is ticking. Starting January 1, 2028, all new semi-auto handguns sold by licensed dealers in California must be microstamping-enabled — assuming DOJ also determines the components are commercially available at “reasonable prices.”
This is not just a state report. It’s the regulatory trigger that could lock the handgun market in California into microstamping compliance — a system widely criticized for being unreliable, easy to defeat, and expensive.
The Bigger Picture
Gun rights advocates have long warned that microstamping is less about solving crimes and more about restricting handgun availability. If manufacturers decide it’s not worth redesigning pistols to meet California’s unique requirements, it could effectively ban the introduction of new handgun models into the state.
And there’s another elephant in the room: criminals don’t buy their guns legally. Gang members and drug traffickers aren’t heading into FFLs to pick up a microstamped pistol. This mandate, like so many California policies, is likely to impact only law-abiding gun owners while doing little to curb violent crime.
What’s Next
This fall, the DOJ will issue performance standards for microstamping components. Early next year, the agency plans to begin licensing entities to produce compliant firing pins and related parts. Unless stopped in court, the microstamping mandate will take effect in 2028.
Gun owners nationwide should pay attention. California has a history of exporting its gun control experiments to other states. With DOJ now calling microstamping “viable,” anti-gun lawmakers elsewhere may try to replicate the model.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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California also believes unlimited funding illegal aliens is viable.
There is WAY MORE HERE than meets the eye ! In COMMIEFORNIA , they have a roster of guns that can be sold. If you change ANYTHING, the gun has to be re-certified, even IF it is just a color change ! That is the only reason that Glock still makes a GEN 3. So, even IF you can just add a new striker or firing pin with the microstamp, technically, it is a “change” to the guns design, and may require EVERY GUN to be re-certified in order to make the roster !
Hmmm… custom personalised microstamping…
Mine might say, “whatchoo lookin for?”
Or matbe Custom Microstamps Unltd Ltd, with an even tinier marca registrada thingie
A few swipes with a file and now the gun is clean. This is once again just another attempt to restrict our rights to own a gun …
Can’t you just change out the firing pin?
The one BIG thing that 99% of people are either missing or ignoring is the fact that, should this actually go into effect, it will effectively ban ALL semiautomatic handguns from being sold in the state unless they use microstamping. And since there will likely be no guns produced by manufacturers with that technology, the handgun roster goes immediately to ZERO guns eligible to be sold. There is no “grandfathering” in of existing handguns. This is a backdoor ban on semiautomatic handguns – period.
The wording – “all new semi-auto handguns sold by licensed dealers in California must be microstamping-enabled” – was deliberate. It doesn’t say that it applies only to newly introduced models of semi-auto handguns. It says “all new semi-auto handguns”. Except for used guns, everything sold at a FFL is new. So it applies to every semiautomatic handgun currently in the display case.
I say give it a try if you want but now that it’s been published, if I were a criminal the first thing I would do would be to file my firing pin lol. Many of the states that are for something like this and our four gun control have also voted in the past to defund the police. You created the problem, now fix it
And one simple thing they’ve overlooked is how many guns are in the country right now so are you going to require everyone to take their firing pins in? Will honesty be involved in that? How many spare firing pins will be sold between now and the enactment of the law so you have a spare that isn’t micro stamped? Don’t all firing pins have a signature on a primer anyway? I wonder if they realize the ridiculously vast majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens.
We had a ballistic registry when i lived in NY State. They scanned into “COBIS” almost 367,000 handguns over 10 years, at a cost of what they said was 40 million dollars, the got 2 positive hits in 10 YEARS with the COBIS system ! It is useless, and only a tool for more gun control !
I think maybe you should notify California because apparently they can’t read! I would’ve thought all anti-gun liberals would be on the same page and know what each other has done in the past… Apparently not!
So in addition to “I lost all my firearms in an unfortunate boating accident”, we can now add “I dropped my firing pin and it fall onto a 600grit piece of sand paper and the microstamping came off.”…?
Yet another reason for the people to pay attention and remember this when dipshit newscum runs for president. We need to keep him far far away from the Whitehouse.
Are these “firing pinheads” aware that parts can be replaced? Some with relative ease. They are only making it worse (and more expensive) for legal gun owners.
Seems like it would be quite easy for a criminal to remove the micro stamp. In fact, normal wear would likely remove it or make the impression unreadable in a short time.
Swap out the barrel
It’s the pin, not the barrel
feb 2028 kommiefornia bans all guns unable to microstamp. gotta wonder if they will make stamps that say newsome sucks heh-heh
A manufacturer can do that ! I made a “ghost gun” lower right after NY passed the safe law. I gave it a unique serial number NYSUCKS1 ! It was a valid serial number according to ATF guidelines ! It got a lot of laughs when people saw it, gets more now that i dont live there anymore !