AB 1078 Survival Guide: Purchase Limits, CCW Revocations, and the New Renewal Rules

After the Ninth Circuit struck down one-gun-a-month, Sacramento answered with AB 1078: a 3-guns-per-30-days cap starting April 1, 2026, a longer list of ways to lose your CCW, non-resident attestation requirements, and fresh LiveScans on renewal. Here's the full breakdown.

SACRAMENTO — Legislation Watch · In effect (phased, 2026) · Purchase cap live April 1, 2026 · Last verified August 9, 2026

When the Ninth Circuit struck down California’s one-firearm-per-30-days limit in Nguyen v. Bonta, the celebration lasted about one legislative session. AB 1078 is Sacramento’s answer: a new purchase cap set at three firearms per 30 days, plus a substantial rewrite of CCW issuance, revocation, and renewal rules. Most provisions phased in during 2026.

Key facts

Purchase limit3 firearms per 30 days, effective April 1, 2026. Could tighten back toward 1-in-30 if the State prevails in its pending appeal of Nguyen.
Non-resident CCWApplicants must attest under oath that they plan to travel to their selected county within one year
InterviewsPersonal interviews may resume at the issuing agency’s discretion, on top of character references
RenewalsNew LiveScan required for renewal applications starting September 1, 2026

The expanded revocation list

The most consequential change for existing permit holders is how much easier AB 1078 makes it to lose a permit. Grounds for revocation now include:

  • Threatening a public official; assault; domestic violence; stalking; brandishing
  • Unlawful possession in a restricted area — with public transit facilities newly added to the list
  • Negligent discharge — including range accidents, on a plain reading
  • Contempt of court; failure to report law-enforcement contact; inaccuracies on the CCW application
  • Social media and public comments deemed disqualifying by the issuing agency

The last two items are where the litigation will be. “Failure to report LE contact” and “public comments” are broad enough that how each county interprets them matters more than the statute text — and county practice is already diverging. Los Angeles and Orange County application timelines have also stretched as agencies absorb the new requirements.

What this means in practice

  1. Buying: plan multi-gun purchases around the 30-day window; the cap counts firearms, not transactions. Private-party transfers and C&R acquisitions have their own rules — verify with your FFL before assuming an exemption.
  2. Carrying: treat the revocation list as a code of conduct. A negligent-discharge citation or a heated public post is now a permit-ending event in some counties.
  3. Renewing: if your renewal lands after September 1, 2026, book the LiveScan early — appointment backlogs are already the main cause of lapsed permits. And note AB 1948 extends new permits to 3 years starting January 1, 2027.

Sources

  • AB 1078 bill text (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  • Nguyen v. Bonta, 9th Cir. 2025 — our full briefing
  • Community reporting: LA and OC county application timelines, November 2025 – 2026

Educational information only, not legal advice. County implementation varies — verify with your issuing agency.