{"id":228445,"date":"2026-01-14T12:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=228445"},"modified":"2026-01-14T12:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:09:15","slug":"california-gun-storage-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/california-gun-storage-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a California gun owner, 2026 didn\u2019t just bring a new calendar.  It brought new storage rules, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a recent episode of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CAGunLaw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\">California Gun Law<\/a><\/em>, host Don Hammond walked through the state\u2019s freshly updated firearm storage laws that officially took effect January 1, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And fair warning: this is one of those \u201csounds boring until it gets expensive or criminal\u201d topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Laws for CA Gun Storage in 2026\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VyI4rjk6xAA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The changes come from Assembly Bill 53, passed back in 2024, and they dramatically tighten how firearms must be stored inside any \u201cresidence.\u201d And California defines \u201cresidence\u201d broadly.  Houses, apartments, hotel rooms, RVs, even places where you\u2019re temporarily living all count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-see-also-m1-garand-bucket-list-shoot-the-legend-nbsp\">SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/m1-garand-bucket-list-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\">M1 Garand Bucket List: Shoot The Legend&nbsp;<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The heart of the update lives in Penal Code sections 25100 and 25145, which now spell out three flavors of \u201ccriminal storage of a firearm.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First-degree criminal storage is the big one.  If a child or prohibited person accesses your firearm and causes death or great bodily injury, you\u2019re looking at <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/valid-ccw-felony-charges-anyway\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2580\">felony charges<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Second-degree drops to a misdemeanor if someone gets hurt but not seriously injured. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Third-degree still lands you in misdemeanor territory even if no one touches the gun. if you <em>should have known<\/em> access was possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the kicker: a lot of old exceptions are gone. Previously, if you reasonably believed no children would be present, you might have been in the clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not anymore. As Hammond explains, the only real safe harbor now is compliance with Penal Code 25145.  <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/mexico-proves-more-gun-control-does-not-mean-less-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2579\">Meaning guns not under your immediate control<\/a> must be locked up properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And \u201cproperly\u201d now has a legal definition. Firearms must be secured using either a DOJ-approved firearm safety device (yes, those padlocks still count) or a <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/gun-safe-buying-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2581\">gun safe<\/a> that meets specific DOJ standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-see-also-the-sig-romeo-and-juliet-combo-pack\">SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-sig-romeo-and-juliet-combo-pack\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\">The SIG Romeo and Juliet Combo Pack<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The state even regulates steel thickness and construction details. Miss the mark, and you\u2019re looking at fines starting at $250, climbing to $500, and eventually misdemeanor charges with possible <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/shaneen-allen-will-serve-jail-time-says-prosecutor\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2582\">jail time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Will <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-illegal-ways-cops-check-your-gun\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2578\">cops be randomly checking gun<\/a> safes? No. Thank you, Fourth Amendment. But as Hammond jokes, people always find creative ways to get caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottom line: California just raised the stakes. If you own guns, locking them up isn\u2019t just smart.  It\u2019s legally mandatory. Stay informed, stay legal, and maybe double-check that safe while you\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"california-gun-storage-laws\" title=\"California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And fair warning: this is one of those \u201csounds boring until it gets expensive or criminal\u201d topics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":152809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607,122],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-228445","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-r2kba"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>California\u2019s New Gun Storage Laws: Lock It Up or Lawyer Up<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"California\u2019s new 2026 gun storage laws are in effect. 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Experience: \u2013 Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper \u2013 Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.\u2013 Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS &amp; AZ) \u2013 Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.\u2013 2A Journalist \u2013 Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.\u2013 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) \u2013 Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.\u2013 Field-Tested Gear Reviewer \u2013 Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.","sameAs":["https:\/\/hunt365.gunsamerica.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gunsamerica_official\/","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/GunsAmerica","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GunsAmerica"],"url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/author\/larry-z\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GlockSwitches-150x85.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228445"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228451,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228445\/revisions\/228451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228445"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=228445"},{"taxonomy":"hunt365","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hunt365?post=228445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}