Firearms: firearm barrels.

Senator Arreguín, with coauthor Senator Blakespear, advances a narrowly targeted framework that creates a new regulatory regime for firearm barrels, beginning with an immediate requirement that transfers occur in person through a licensed firearms dealer and culminating in a 2027 mandate for dealer eligibility checks and formal electronic reporting to the Department of Justice.

The core change centers on defining a firearm barrel as a distinct regulatory object and governing its sale or transfer through a separate set of rules from broader firearm transfers. A firearm barrel may not be sold or transferred unless the transaction is completed in person by a licensed dealer, and, starting July 1, 2027, the dealer must conduct an eligibility check to determine purchaser authorization and record specified transaction details for electronic submission to the Department of Justice. Purchasers must meet basic eligibility criteria (age 18 or older and not prohibited under state or federal law). A barrel that is attached to a firearm is exempt from these requirements. The regime imposes penalties for violations, with escalating penalties for repeat offenses, and enumerates a broad set of exemptions for certain transfers, including those to law enforcement, federal licensees, the military, certain guardianship or estate transactions, and government or federally authorized programs.

Implementation details and fiscal architecture accompany the regime. The bill creates a funding mechanism through a dedicated Dealers’ Record of Sale account to offset Department of Justice costs associated with the new provisions. It authorizes a per-transaction eligibility-check fee of up to five dollars, with the potential to increase by up to one dollar annually to cover processing costs. The act designates the regulation of the regime to the Department of Justice, granting it authority to adopt implementing regulations and prescribed forms for recordkeeping. It also designates the measure as a state-mandated local program, while noting that no reimbursement is required for local agencies under the Government Code framework related to changes in crime or penalties.

Beyond the procedural changes, the bill delineates how the new regime sits alongside existing firearm laws. It preserves the in-person transfer requirement for barrels but confines the core eligibility-and-reporting regime to the barrel context, separate from the broader firearm sale framework. The policy landscape envisioned includes a transition period through 2027 to build the necessary data-collection, form design, and electronic submission systems, with the Department of Justice empowered to issue implementing regulations and address operational details. Stakeholders—licensed dealers, purchasers, and local agencies—face new compliance responsibilities, data-collection requirements, and potential cost recovery mechanisms, while exemptions limit the reach of the central provisions to a defined set of transactions.