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Assembly Bill (AB) 2552 (Stats. 2022, ch. 696), enacted in 2022, strengthens certain requirements for gun show producers and vendors. AB 2552 also placed expanded responsibilities on DOJ to conduct oversight and inspection activities at California gun shows. For example, commencing July 1, 2023, DOJ’s Bureau of Firearms (BOF) is required to “annually conduct enforcement and inspection of a minimum of one-half of all gun shows or events in the state to ensure compliance” with applicable laws. (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27310, subd. (c)). Additionally, BOF is required to post on its website, for a period of 90 days after an inspection, any violations of laws applicable to firearm and ammunition transfers or sales at a gun show discovered during an inspection of a gun show. (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27310, subd. (d).) Below is a summary of the violations that BOF has discovered during the inspection of gun shows since December 2023 and our continued efforts in upholding public safety and ensuring legal compliance.
Federal law defines a “gun show or event” as a “function sponsored by any national, state, or local organization, devoted to the collection, competitive use, or other sporting use of firearms, or an organization or association that sponsors functions devoted to the collection, competitive use, or other sporting use of firearms in the community.”1 California laws governing gun shows incorporate this federal definition.2
Gun shows are held at various types of venues where vendors gather to, among other things, display, market, and/or sell firearms, ammunition, firearm accessories, and non-firearm products. Researchers have estimated that on average, over 2,000 gun shows are held nationwide each year.3 In California, there were 52 gun shows conducted in 2021, 59 conducted in 2022, and 57 conducted in 2023.
_____________________________ 127 CFR § 478.100(b). 2See Cal. Pen. Code, §§ 27200, subd. (a); 26805, subd., (b). 3See David Pérez Esparza, et al., “Examining a Dataset on Gun Shows in the US, 2011-2019,” Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, 4(1): 86-96 (Sep. 2022), https://jied.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/jied.146.
California was one of the first states to enact legislation to comprehensively regulate gun shows by licensing and regulating gun show producers and vendors.
The laws applicable to gun shows, gun show producers, and gun show vendors can generally be found in Part 6, Title 4, Division 6 of the Penal Code, specifically at sections 27200 through 27245(Article 1: Gun Show or Event), sections 27300 through 27350 (Article 2: Gun Show Enforcement and Security Act of 2000), and sections 16620, 16800, and 26525.
A GSP License is a permit that allows a person to produce, promote, sponsor, operate, or otherwise organize a gun show in California, as specified in Penal Code section 26805, subdivision (b). (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27200). GSP Licenses are issued by DOJ.
$85.00 check or money order payable to the Department of Justice;
A copy of your COE
An annual calendar of potential gun shows that you plan to promote, produce, sponsor, operate, or otherwise organize during the year for which the COE is issued, including the date, time, and location of the gun shows.
$85.00 check or money order payable to the Department of Justice
A copy of your COE
An annual calendar of potential gun shows that you plan to promote, produce, sponsor, operate, or otherwise organize during the year for which the COE is issued, including the date, time, and location of the gun shows.
Department of Justice
Bureau of Firearms
Guns Show Producer Unit
P.O Box 160487
Sacramento, CA 958116-0487
Note: A licensed gun show producer must ensure that liability insurance in an amount of note less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) is in effect for the duration of each gun show. Proof of liability insurance is required prior to each gun show.
There is no grace period to submit the renewal application. Once your GSP license is issued, you will have 365 days minus one day (i.e., 364 days) from the issued date to renew. Failure to renew by this date will result in an expired GSP license.
If significant changes have been made since the Annual Event and Security Plan was submitted, the producer must submit a revised plan no later than 15 days before the gun show commences. (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27210, subd. (b).)
Must contain “list of all prospective vendors and designated firearms transfer agents who are licensed firearms dealers or ammunition vendors.” (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27220, subd. (a).)
Must be submitted within seven calendar days of the commencement of the gun show, but no later than noon on Friday for a show held on a weekend. (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27220, subd. (a).)
Certificate of Liability Insurance – Send via mail or email
Must include the policy’s effective date and expiration date and ensure that the gun show falls within coverage provided during such dates.
Must be insurance “in an amount of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000).” (Cal. Pen. Code, § 27200, subd. (b)(3).)
