By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New— Alabama: HB389/SB281 passed the House Financial Services Committee and is expected to be voted on in the House; California: Six bills are still viable in this session of the legislature and on April 26, the Department of Justice announced a rulemaking for the firearm dealer video surveillance requirement that became effective Jan. 1; Colorado: The Senate passed HB24-1348, a mandatory storage bill for firearms in vehicles, which now goes to Governor Polis. The Senate also passed HB24-1174, which increased training requirements for concealed carry permits, with a Senate amendment, thus returning it to the House for concurrence. The House has passed HB24-1270, liability insurance for gun owners; Delaware: HB311 was passed by the Delaware House Judiciary Committee on April 24; Georgia: Governor Brian Kemps signed HB1018 into law on April 22; Louisiana: Three pro-gun bills passed the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee and are now eligible for votes on the House floor; Maine: On April 26,Governor Janet Mills signed all three anti-gun laws; Minnesota: Three bills are scheduled for the House floor on Monday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. local time; New York: DA Alvin Bragg contacts YouTube regarding ghost guns; Tennessee: Governor Bill Lee signed SB 2223/HB 2762 and SB1325 into law. The Tennessee legislature has adjourned.
State Legislation and local communities
States that do NOT hold legislative sessions in 2024: Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas,
States that are still in session: Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont
California: The following bills are still viable in this session of the legislature: SB53 prohibits firearms ownership in the home unless firearms are stored in a locked box only accessible to the gun owner; SB1038 mandates that lost and stolen firearms be reported to local law enforcement within 48 hours; SB1160 mandates all firearm owners to re-register their firearms annually with a fee yet to be determined; SB1253 mandates all firearm owners to have a valid Firearm Safety Card with renewal every five years; AB3067, mandates homeowners insurance companies request firearms information from their customers; and AB2917, an expansion of California’s red flag law adding “threats” directed towards a group or location, leading to a five-year firearm prohibition. On April 26, the Department of Justice announced a rulemaking on the firearm dealer video surveillance requirement which became effective Jan. 1.
Alabama: HB389/SB281, prohibiting payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components, passed the House Financial Services Committee and is expected to be voted on in the House.
Colorado: The Senate has passed HB24-1348, a mandatory storage bill for firearms in vehicles, and it now goes to Governor Polis. The Senate also passed HB24-1174, which increased training requirements for concealed carry permits, with a Senate amendment, thus returning it to the House for concurrence. The House has passed HB24-1270, liability insurance for gun owners.
Delaware: HB311, a bill adding university campuses to the Safe School Zone criminal offense law as a sensitive place, was passed by the Delaware House Judiciary Committee on April 24, 2025.
Georgia: On April 22, Gov. Brian Kemps signed HB1018, prohibiting payment processors from using firearm-specific merchant category codes for firearms, ammunition, and components, into law.
Louisiana: Two pro-gun bills, SB 152 and SB 214, clarifying language regarding law-abiding citizens’ rights to carry firearms, and SB 194, expanding state preemption and requiring political subdivisions to repeal offending ordinances, passed the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee and are now eligible for votes on the House floor.
Maine: On April 26,Gov. Janet Mills signed LD2224, a Universal Background Check bill similar to the proposal that was voted down in the past elections; LD2086, which redefines machine guns to include semi-automatic firearms by adding parts; and LD2238, which adds a 3-day waiting period.
Minnesota: The following bills are scheduled for the House floor on Monday, April 29, 2024, at 3:30 PM local time: HF601, mandatory lost and stolen reporting; HF2609, a bill to ban specific firearm triggers and increase penalties on straw purchases; and HF4300, safe, compulsory firearms storage.
New York: Alvin Bragg, New York City District Attorney, in an effort to be relevant, authored a letter to YouTube, asking the internet channel to change their algorithm. He wrote, “What we want to happen today is for YouTube to not have an algorithm that pushes people, especially our youth, to ghost guns.”
Tennessee: On April 26, the House passed SB1325, which authorizes a faculty or staff member of a school to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds subject to certain conditions, including obtaining an enhanced handgun carry permit and completing annual training. Gov. Bill Lee immediately signed the bill. On April 23, Gov. Lee signed SB 2223/HB2762, prohibiting using firearm-specific-merchant category codes by payment processors for firearms, ammunition, and components into law. The Tennessee legislature has adjourned.
