Pen. Code, § 27531 · Article 1. Crimes Relating to Sale, Lease, or Transfer of Firearms
Pen. Code, § 27531
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
The following terms have the following meanings for purposes of this article:
(a) “Microstamp” means a microscopic array of characters that may be used to identify the specific serial number of a firearm from spent cartridge casings discharged by that firearm.
(b) “Microstamping component” means a firing pin or other component part of a semiautomatic pistol that, when installed, produces a microstamp on at least one location of the expended cartridge case each time the pistol is fired.
(c) “Microstamping-enabled” means either of the following:
(1) The firearm’s manufacturer has certified in writing that the firearm contains a microstamping component that meets the performance standards established by the Department of Justice pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 27532.
(2) A licensed firearms dealer or gunsmith has certified in writing that they serviced the firearm to install a microstamping component that meets the performance standards established by the Department of Justice pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 27532.
(d) “Producing microstamping components” may include, but is not limited to, the process of engraving a firing pin to modify the pin into a microstamping component.
(e) “Semiautomatic pistol” means a pistol, as defined in Section 16530, that has an operating mode that uses the energy of the explosive in a fixed cartridge to extract a fired cartridge and chamber a fresh cartridge with each single pull or activation of the trigger.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 253, Sec. 1. (SB 452) Effective January 1, 2024.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=27531.
- Text hash
- sha256 34fb71dd61e639e38045c6d0f63120a728697ee14a35d9a17e53e6453dcc5834
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 2 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 27531. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.