Assembly Bill 1527 (“AB 1527″) was signed by Governor Brown on September 28, 2012, and went into effect on January 1, 2013. AB 1527 is effectively a general ban on the carrying of unloaded “firearms that are not handguns” (presumably long-guns) outside of a vehicle in most public places. AB 1527 is a follow-up to last year’s AB 144, which prohibited the open carry of unloaded handguns in most public places.1 After AB 144 was enacted, people protested by carrying unloaded rifles and shotguns in public places, which remained legal after AB 144. AB 1527 was passed in response, intending to prohibit such activity.

AB 1527 amends Sections 7574.14 and 7582.2 of the Business and Professions Code, and Sections 626.92, 16520, 16750, 16850, and 17295 of the California Penal Code, while adding Sections 16505, 26366.5, 26390, 26391, and Chapter 7 (commencing with 26400) to the California Penal Code.2

Michel & Associates, P.C. has now posted a memorandum of law explaining what the law requires here.