The Overview

California gun owners who want a firearm out of the house during a mental health crisis or a tense family fight will soon have a clear way to hand it to local police for safekeeping. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1974 on Saturday, Sept. 26, and it takes effect Friday, Jan. 1, 2027. ​

The law is modeled on a San Francisco Police Department program, a state Senate analysis says. The city launched it in September 2025 with Pierce’s Pledge, a nonprofit Lesley Hu founded after her 9-year-old son was killed by his father during a custody dispute. Nationwide, firearms were used in 27,300 suicides in 2023, more than half of all suicide deaths that year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

What the Law Does

The law lets any police or sheriff’s department set up a program where people temporarily hand over guns for safekeeping. No agency has to offer one, and no gun owner has to take part.

Agencies that join must be able to hold a gun for up to a year and post clear steps for dropping it off and getting it back. Staff must check state records when a gun comes in to see if it was reported lost, stolen or used in a crime, and must confirm the owner can still legally have a gun before returning it.

Owners who don’t want the gun back can have it destroyed, donated to a museum or historical society, or sold through a licensed dealer. A gun no one claims by the deadline is destroyed unless the owner is still waiting on a decision about getting it back. The law also protects agencies from liability for damage to stored guns and exempts owners from state carry and transfer rules while bringing a gun in, as long as they tell the agency first.

Legislative Status

Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) wrote the bill, and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence sponsored it. Stefani told lawmakers that nothing stopped police from storing guns before, but agencies had no state guidance, which left some hesitant and others running programs in different ways.

The Assembly passed the bill 71-2 on April 20, and the Senate passed it 36-3 on Aug. 28, according to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy vote record. The Assembly then agreed to the Senate’s changes 73-2 on Aug. 30.

Police groups, prosecutors, doctors and gun safety groups backed the bill. The California Rifle and Pistol Association opposed it, warning it could create legal risks for agencies, strain police resources and pressure owners into giving up their guns.

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