HB2420 firearm sales; transfers; background checks

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify an effective date; it only indicates the bill passed the legislature.

HB2420: Rules for Firearm Sales and Background Checks

This law requires most private firearm sales in Arizona to go through a licensed dealer who performs a background check, with specific exceptions for family gifts, loans at shooting ranges, antique weapons, and emergency situations.

What This Bill Does

Requires that if neither the seller nor buyer is a licensed firearms dealer, they must complete the sale or transfer through a licensed dealer.
Mandates that both parties appear in person with the firearm to request a criminal background check on the buyer before the transfer occurs.
Orders dealers to run checks using federal and state systems as if selling from their own inventory.
Allows dealers to charge a fee of up to $20 for administrative costs related to facilitating these transfers.
Classifies violations of this section as a class 5 felony.

Who It Names or Affects

Private individuals who want to sell or buy firearms from other private citizens in Arizona.
Licensed firearms dealers who must facilitate the transfer and run background checks for these transactions.
Law enforcement officers, military personnel, gunsmiths, transporters, and others listed as exceptions.

Terms To Know

Licensed Firearms Dealer: A business or person authorized by the state to sell firearms and conduct background checks.
Class 5 Felony: The specific criminal penalty for violating this new law in Arizona.
Antique Firearm: A gun made before or during 1898, including replicas using old ignition systems like flintlock, which is exempt from these rules.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not apply to gifts between immediate family members such as spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Temporary loans of firearms for target shooting at a range or hunting with the owner present are exempt from these requirements.
The official effective date is not listed in the provided text.

Official Summary Text

HB2420 - firearm sales; transfers; background checks

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2420 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
firearm sales; transfers; background checks

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2420

Introduced by

Representatives
M�rquez: Aguilar

AN
ACT

amending
title 13, chapter 31, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 13-3123;
relating to firearms.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title
13, chapter 31, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 13-3123,
to read:

START_STATUTE
13-3123.

Licensed firearm dealer sales or transfers; background checks;
exceptions; classification

A. A
person may not sell or transfer a firearm unless the person is a licensed
firearms dealer, the purchaser or transferee is a licensed firearms dealer or a
licensed firearms dealer facilitates the transfer pursuant to subsection B of
this section.

B. If
neither party to a prospective firearms sale or transfer is a licensed firearms
dealer, the parties to the transaction shall complete the sale or transfer
through a licensed firearms dealer in the following manner:

1. Before the transfer, both the
seller or transferor and the purchaser or transferee must appear in person
before a licensed firearms dealer with the firearm in hand and request that the
dealer perform a criminal background check on the transferee pursuant to 18
united states code section 922(
t
) and state and local
law, unless the transferee displays a permit that exempts the transferee from
the background check.

2. a licensed firearms dealer who
agrees to complete a transfer of a firearm under this section shall comply with
all requirements of federal and state law as if the dealer were transferring
the firearm from the inventory of the dealer to the transferee, including a
check of the national instant criminal background check system, if applicable.

3. On completion of the check through
the national instant criminal background check system, if the dealer receives
notification that the transferee is prohibited by state or federal law from
possessing or receiving the firearm, the dealer shall notify the transferor,
and both the transferor and the dealer may not transfer the firearm to the
transferee.

4. The
dealer may require the purchaser or transferee to pay a fee of not more than
$20 that covers the administrative costs incurred by the dealer for
facilitating the transfer of the firearm, including any applicable fees
pursuant to federal, state or local law.

C. This
section does not apply to any of the following:

1. A law
enforcement agency in this state, the state department of corrections and any
peace officer or corrections officer who is acting within the course and scope
of the officer's employment or official duties.

2. A
United States marshal, a member of the armed forces of the United States or the
national guard or a federal official transferring or receiving a firearm as
required in the operation of official duties.

3. A
gunsmith who receives a firearm solely for the purpose of service or repair.

4. A common carrier, warehouseman or
other person who is engaged in the business of transportation or storage, to
the extent that the receipt of any firearm is in the ordinary course of
business and not for personal use by the person.

5. A
person who is loaned a firearm solely for the purpose of target shooting if the
loan occurs on the premises of a shooting range and the firearm is at all times
kept within the premises of the shooting range.

6. A
person who is under eighteen years of age, who is loaned a firearm for lawful
hunting or sporting purposes or for any other lawful recreational activity and
who is allowed to possess a firearm pursuant to section 13-3111.

7. A
person who is at least eighteen years of age and who is loaned a firearm while
the person is accompanying the lawful owner and using the firearm for lawful
hunting or sporting purposes or for any other lawful recreational activity.

8. The
sale or transfer of an antique firearm.� For the purposes of this paragraph,
"antique firearm" means a firearm or replica of a firearm that was
not designed or redesigned for using rim fire or conventional center fire
ignition with fixed ammunition and that was manufactured in or before 1898,
including any matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap or similar type of ignition
system and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before
1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and
is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.

9. A firearm transfer that is a bona
fide gift between any combination of immediate family members. For
the purposes of this paragraph, "immediate family members" means
spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents,
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, first cousins, aunts and uncles.

10. A temporary transfer of a firearm
if the transfer is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to
the person from whom the firearm is transferred and if both of the following
apply:

(
a
)
The temporary transfer only lasts as long as immediately necessary to
prevent the imminent death or great bodily
harm
.

(
b
)
The person to whom the firearm is transferred is not prohibited from
possessing a firearm under state or federal law.

D. A
person who violates this section is guilty of a class 5 felony
.
END_STATUTE