Gun Show Producer

What is AB 2552?

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.

Gun Show Inspection Date County Total Violations
Santa Clara Gun Show 11/16/24 Santa Clara 1

  1. 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.


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    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.