Registered Gun Owners Double in California Since 2012, Even as State Toughens Regulations

Deputies handle some of approximately 3,500 confiscated guns to be melted down at Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on July 19, 2018. David McNew/Getty Images

California has more than 2.5 million gun owners registered as of Jan. 1, according to the state’s Justice Department. That is about double the number in 2012.

The number of gun owners has been increasing by about 6-15 percent a year despite the state’s ever-expanding regulation of gun ownership.