STATE
CALIFORNIA GUN LAWS
Overall, California has the strongest gun safety laws in the nation and has been a trailblazer for gun safety reform for the past 30 years.
Scorecard Grade
California has been the first state in the nation to adopt a number of gun safety reforms, ranging from assault weapons restrictions and strong background check requirements to extreme risk protection orders and domestic violence protections. In 2024, California had the seventh lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 3,314 people die from gun violence in the state. That means that someone dies from gun violence every three hours. Forty-eight percent of these deaths are gun suicides, and 48% are gun homicides. In California, the rate of gun deaths decreased 9% from 2015 to 2024, while the gun death rate rose 15% nationwide over this same time period.
EXPLORE CALIFORNIA’S GUN LAWS
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
REPORT
COMMUNITIES ON THE MOVE
Local communities in California have enacted some of the strongest and most innovative gun safety policies in the nation. Our report, Communities on the Move: Local Gun Safety Legislation in California, highlights the gun safety achievements of municipalities in the Golden State.
MAKE A GIFT
We’re building a movement of Americans committed to gun safety. Democrats and Republicans, gun owners and non–gun owners alike—we stand united to reject the gun lobby and pass lifesaving gun safety laws.