Public contracts: firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories.

Assembly Member Stefani's Ira Sharp Firearm and Ammunition Procurement Act establishes new requirements for California state agencies contracting with firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessory vendors. The legislation creates a comprehensive verification framework for state procurement, applicable to all relevant contracts initiated or modified after January 1, 2026.

Under the new provisions, bidders and contractors must provide detailed documentation of their compliance history and business practices. This includes records of federal trace requests from the past five years, theft and loss reports, recent inspection findings, and documentation of any violations and subsequent corrective actions. Vendors must also maintain and document policies for preventing straw purchases, screening prohibited buyers, preventing theft, training employees, and assisting law enforcement investigations. The bill prohibits contractors from selling unserialized firearms or precursor parts.

The Department of General Services, working with the Department of Justice, will develop procedures to evaluate vendor compliance, potentially including a prequalification process and scoring system based on public safety criteria. State agencies must reject bids or cancel contracts from vendors who fail to meet these requirements or whose practices do not align with state public safety values. The legislation explicitly prohibits agencies from waiving these requirements or making emergency purchases of firearms, ammunition, or accessories.