The new law requires compliance by January 1, 2026

1) Heightened civil and criminal exposure, especially for businesses with:

• CAD file content

• User-generated online communities

• CNC/3D printer product lines

• Barrel or accessory retail/eCommerce

2) Mandatory disclosures + customer acknowledgment workflows before selling certain products

3) Required age verification + signature-required delivery

4) Increased monitoring obligations for industry members to prevent unlawful manufacture or abusive downstream dealers.

5) Stricter definitions of “firearm manufacturing machine” and “digital manufacturing code”

1. New Crime: Aiding or Facilitating Unlawful Firearm Manufacturing

It is now a misdemeanor to:

• Knowingly or willfully cause another person to unlawfully manufacture a firearm, or
• Knowingly/willfully aid, abet, promote, or facilitate unlawful firearm manufacturing.

“Unlawful manufacture” includes:

• A minor or prohibited person making a firearm
• Any unlicensed individual making 4+ firearms/year
• Use of 3D printers or CNC machines by unlicensed individuals
• Making a firearm for sale or transfer without a license
• Making a firearm to transfer without a background check
• Manufacturing assault weapons, .50 BMG rifles, unserialized guns, machineguns, LCMs or LCM-conversion kits,
  SBR/SBS, undetectable firearms, unsafe handguns, zip guns, or any “generally prohibited weapon”

This applies both criminally (Penal Code 29186) and civilly (Civil Code 3273.625).

2. Major Expansion of Liability for Digital Firearm Manufacturing Files

California strengthens and expands restrictions on CAD/CAM files, 3D printing files, and CNC milling code.

What now counts as “digital firearm manufacturing code”?

Digital instructions that can be used to create ANY of the following:

• Firearms, receivers, precursor parts
• Large-capacity magazines
• LCM conversion kits
• Machineguns (including auto-sears/switches)
• Multiburst trigger activators
• Silencers
• Firearm accessories
• Firearm barrels

New civil liability

• Distributing such digital files to individuals in CA who are not FFL manufacturers, OR
• Violating PC 29185 (unlawful use of 3D printers/CNC machines)

Strict Liability

If someone is injured by a firearm illegally made from such files, the distributor is strictly liable for damages.

Rebuttable Presumption of Guilt

You are presumed to have violated the law if BOTH:

1. You own/operate a website that allows purchase/download/distribution of digital gun-making files
2. The website encourages uploading, sharing, or using them to manufacture firearms

3. New Requirements for Firearm Industry Members Selling Certain Parts

Before selling or shipping the following to anyone in CA:

• Firearm accessories
• Firearm manufacturing machines (3D printers, CNC mills, etc.)

A firearm-industry member MUST:

A. Provide Mandatory Notice

Buyers must receive and acknowledge a clear warning that it is generally a crime to:

• Make more than 3 firearms/year without a manufacturing license
• Make a firearm using a 3D printer/CNC without a license
• Make guns for sale or transfer without a license
• Make guns for transfer without a background check
• Assist or allow prohibited persons to manufacture guns
• Manufacture assault weapons, machineguns, unserialized guns, unsafe handguns, LCMs/kits, etc.

B. Age Verification

• Buyer must provide proof of identity showing they are 18+.

C. Shipping Requirements

• Packages must be labeled: “Signature and proof of ID (18+) required for delivery.”
• Address must match the buyer’s identification
• Signature and ID check required upon delivery

Exemptions

• FFLs, manufacturers, importers, ammo vendors
• Law enforcement and military (on duty)
• Wholesalers
• Common carriers acting within normal duties

4. Expanded 10-Year Firearm Prohibition for New Misdemeanors

Beginning January 1, 2026, anyone convicted of certain misdemeanors—including:

• Unlawfully manufacturing firearms via 3D printing/CNC (PC 29185)
• Aiding/facilitating unlawful manufacture (PC 29186)
• Possession/manufacture of assault weapons, machineguns, LCMs, SBR/SBS, zip guns, undetectable guns, etc.

—will be prohibited from acquiring or possessing firearms for 10 years.

Penalties for violations:

• Up to 1 year in county jail
• Up to $1,000 fine
• Or both

5. Additional Firearm Industry Conduct Requirements

The existing California “Firearm Industry Standard of Conduct” is expanded and now includes:

• Requirements to implement “reasonable controls” to prevent unlawful manufacture
• Restrictions on products that promote conversion of legal items into illegal ones
• A requirement to prevent installation or use of pistol converters (e.g., Glock switches)

6. Enforcement & Lawsuits

The law provides multiple avenues for lawsuits:

• Private individuals harmed by violations
• Attorney General
• County Counsel
• City Attorneys

Penalties:

• Up to $25,000 per violation
• Compensatory damages
• Injunctions
• Attorney’s fees

7. Severability

If any part of the law is struck down, the remaining provisions stay in effect.

Beginning January 1, 2026, California SB 704 makes it unlawful to ship or deliver any standalone firearm barrel directly to a California resident, requiring instead that all such barrels—finished or readily convertible—be shipped only to a California-licensed FFL for pickup.

Then, starting July 1, 2027, the law adds a second, stronger layer: the buyer must appear in person at the FFL and complete a DOJ-prescribed eligibility/background check, and the dealer must record and electronically report purchaser and barrel details (name, DOB, ID, address, caliber/model) to the California DOJ. In short, Jan 1 2026 restricts shipping, forcing all barrel deliveries to go through an FFL, while July 1 2027 regulates the actual transfer, turning barrels into an in-person, background-checked component transaction similar to a firearm.