Here are some laws going into effect on Jan. 1 around the country.
California gun safety regulations going into effect Jan. 1
In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of laws aimed at strengthening gun safety regulations. Those include requiring schools to implement safety programs and plans, and establishing an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which have deadlines in the coming years.
Some of those laws go into effect on Jan. 1 including:
AB 1483 strengthens a rule against applying for more than one handgun in a 30-day period. The bill removes an exemption for a private party transactions. However, the policy has been caught in court battles and the California Department of Justice does will not enforce it while a court injunction is in place, the California DOJ told USA TODAY on Dec. 27.
AB 1598 requires firearm dealers to provide consumers with a pamphlet covering the reasons for and risks of firearm ownership, "including the increased risk of death to someone in the household by suicide, homicide, or unintentional injury."
AB 2917 guides courts to expand considerations for a gun violence restraining order to include threats of violence, specifically hate-based threats.
"California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news release. "In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws."
Colorado requires secure storage in a vehicle, training for concealed carry
As of Jan. 1, any handgun stored inside an unoccupied vehicle in Colorado must be in a locked, hard-sided container that is out of plain view, and the vehicle also must be locked, with some exceptions.
Later in 2025, Coloradans who want to apply for a concealed carry permit will be required to complete an eight-hour training class, which includes a written exam and a live-fire exercise. The law, which goes into effect July 1, also prohibits anyone who was convicted of certain misdemeanor offenses from obtaining a concealed carry permit, if those offenses happened within five years of the application.
New Hampshire's new year laws bolster gun rights
The only gun-related bills signed into law in 2024 in New Hampshire expanded gun rights. Going into effect on Jan, 1. HB 1186 strengthens privacy protections around gun laws by prohibiting the use of specific merchant category codes, and HB 1336 bars employers from forbidding employees from storing guns in locked vehicles. SB 322, which already went into effect in July, protects law enforcement officers who issue gun licenses “in good faith.”
After a security guard was shot and killed while in the line of duty at the New Hampshire Hospital in 2023, some lawmakers pushed for new gun regulations. One, called Bradley’s Law, was a bipartisan sponsored bill to require serious mental health information to be reported to the federal background check system for firearm purchases. But while the bill passed the House, it failed in the Senate.
Kentucky joins more than a dozen states enacting NRA-backed legislation
The NRA touted that several states have passed laws to prohibit assigning a code for gun retailers, known as a "merchant category code." The MCCs can be used by financial institutions to see what kinds of purchases are made, though it does not show the specific item purchased.
Kentucky is one of 10 states that passed an MCC ban in 2024, according to the NRA, and at least five other states have previously passed those laws while a handful of other states, including California, have passed legislation requiring it.
Kentucky's ban goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.
Minnesota, New York, Delaware also have new gun laws coming into effect in the New Year
Minnesota passed a binary trigger ban, which goes into effect on Jan. 1. A binary trigger allows a gun to be fired once when the trigger is pulled, then again when the trigger is released.
Delaware will include university campuses in the Safe School Zone, making it a felony offense to possess a firearm on campus, as of Jan. 1.
New York will require gun dealers to post signs warning consumers of the risk of gun ownership starting Jan. 7. In the new year, New York is also implementing a statewide registry of extreme risk protection orders, which bars someone from owning a gun temporarily if they are deemed at risk to themselves or others.
