There are a lot of parts needed in order to make a firearm, and not all of those are easily made at home.

With the advent of 3D printers, we can now make a lot more in the comfort of our living rooms than ever before, but while it's possible to build an entire firearm with just the printer, a lot of people prefer metal components for their guns. After all, if you're going to contain the pressure of a gunshot, something like steel can do it with less bulk than plastic can.

Gun barrels are such a part.

Now, California wants to regulate them like they're guns.

The bill, Senate Bill 704, is sponsored by state Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D).

SB 704 singles out firearm barrels among the many other parts of firearm, requiring a background check for any replacement barrel or aftermarket barrel upgrade purchase:

Commencing on July 1, 2026, this bill would, except as specified, prohibit the sale or transfer of a firearm barrel, as defined, unless the transaction is completed in person by a licensed firearms dealer. The bill would require the licensed firearms dealer to conduct a background check of the purchaser or transferee and to record specified information pertaining to the transaction, including the date of the sale or transfer.

Moreover, SB 704 specifically outlines how the costs of performing background checks for barrels must be handled, making clear that the legislation literally creates “a new crime,” albeit a misdemeanor, in the state California.

Now, a misdemeanor is hardly the worst thing that they could use to penalize someone, but it's still turning this into a crime. Moreover, you're deluded if you think it'll stay a misdemeanor.

First, they'll get it on the books; then, when it doesn't work, they'll use that to justify making it a felony.

We all know it.

We also know that this is the first step on a long road in California.

They likely know they can't really prohibit anyone from making their own gun. Even the Supreme Court has said as much in the VanDerStok ruling, so that's off the table. 

What they can do, though, is make it so ridiculously prohibitive to do so that no one will bother.

See, no matter what they tell you, they don't want people having guns. They want fewer people buying firearms lawfully. They want fewer people making them lawfully. They have all the evidence they need to see that their regulations don't work, but they keep doing things like this because they aren't worried about the criminals.

They're worried about you. They're worried that you'll have a firearm.

If you don't need the government to protect you, you might figure you don't need them for a lot of other things. You might start deciding they don't need to be protecting you from anything and everything else, or that you don't need them taking your tax dollars to spend on light rail boondoggles or other things that make no sense except as campaign promises to people who don't know any better. Or literally anything they'd rather you not think about.

And they're worried that if they cross the line then it won't work out well for them.

California is going to do this and more. We all know it. We also know why.