California Gun Laws Explained: Purchase, Carry, and Storage

California gun laws are among the strictest in the country. To buy any firearm, you must be at least 21, pass a background check through a licensed dealer, hold a valid Firearm Safety Certificate, and wait a full 10 days before taking the gun home. The state bans certain weapons outright, caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds, screens every ammunition sale, and tightly controls who can carry a loaded firearm in public. What applies to you depends on the type of firearm, your personal history, and whether you plan to carry it, transport it, or keep it at home.

Who Is Barred From Owning a Firearm

The minimum age to buy a firearm from a California dealer is 21. Licensed hunters 18 or older can buy certain long guns other than handguns and semiautomatic centerfire rifles, and active-duty military and law enforcement personnel 18 and older can buy some firearms civilians the same age cannot.1California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 27510 – Sale of Firearm to Person Under 21

Age aside, several categories of people cannot legally own or possess a firearm:

What You Can’t Legally Buy or Own

Assault Weapons

California bans firearms it classifies as assault weapons through two parallel approaches. The first is a list of specific makes and models, including all AK-series rifles, Colt AR-15 series, UZI pistols and rifles, and several dozen other named weapons.8California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 30510 The second is a features test. A semiautomatic centerfire rifle without a fixed magazine qualifies as an assault weapon if it has any one of several characteristics, including a protruding pistol grip, a thumbhole stock, or a folding or telescoping stock. A semiautomatic centerfire rifle with a fixed magazine holding more than 10 rounds, or with an overall length under 30 inches, also qualifies.9California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 30515 – Assault Weapons and .50 BMG Rifles

Possessing an assault weapon is a wobbler, meaning prosecutors can file it as a misdemeanor with up to one year in county jail or as a felony punishable by 16 months, two years, or three years in prison.10California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 30605

Large-Capacity Magazines

Any magazine holding more than 10 rounds is a large-capacity magazine under California law. Making, importing, selling, giving, or lending one is punishable by up to a year in county jail or state prison. Simple possession, regardless of when you acquired it, is a separate offense that can be charged as an infraction with a fine up to $100 per magazine or as a misdemeanor with up to a year in jail.11California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 32310 – Large-Capacity Magazine This statute has been through ongoing litigation, so check the California Attorney General’s website for the current enforcement status before relying on any particular rule.

Off-Roster Handguns

California maintains a roster of handguns certified as meeting state safety standards, and dealers can only sell new handguns that appear on it. The roster has been shrinking because newer models must satisfy requirements manufacturers have struggled to meet, including microstamping. If the handgun you want is off-roster, your only route is a private party transfer or another exempt transaction, not a standard dealer sale.12California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 32000

Privately Made Firearms

Before building or assembling any firearm that lacks a serial number, you must apply to the Department of Justice for a unique serial number. Within 10 days of completing the firearm, you have to engrave or permanently affix that number to the frame or receiver and notify the DOJ. Firearms built from polymer plastic must also contain 3.7 ounces of stainless steel embedded in the frame.13California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 29180

What You Need to Bring to a Dealer

Every buyer has to present a valid Firearm Safety Certificate before a dealer will release a gun.14California Legislative Information. California Code 26840 – Dealer Delivery Requirements You get one by passing a written test on firearm safety, safe storage, and California law, administered by a DOJ-certified instructor, often at the dealership. The maximum fee is $25, which covers up to two attempts. The certificate is good for five years.15New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4252

You also need a California driver license or state ID card. If your ID carries the “Federal Limits Apply” notation, bring proof of lawful presence as well: a valid U.S. passport, a certified U.S. birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, or a valid permanent resident card.16New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4045.1 Handgun buyers must also bring secondary proof of residency, such as a utility bill, signed residential lease, or property deed in your name, with an address matching your primary ID.17State of California Department of Justice. Title 11, Division 5, Chapter 4, Evidence of Residency

The Purchase Process and 10-Day Wait

Once your documents are in order, the dealer submits a Dealer Record of Sale to the DOJ, which triggers state and federal background checks.18California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 28220 You pay a DROS fee of $31.19 that covers one or more firearms in the same transaction.19New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4001

Then the waiting period begins: 10 full 24-hour periods, 240 hours, measured from when the DROS is submitted.20State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Frequently Asked Questions The firearm stays with the dealer the whole time. Even if the background check clears in minutes, you cannot pick the gun up before 240 hours have elapsed.21California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 26815 If the DOJ cannot determine your eligibility in that window, it can extend the hold up to 30 days from the transaction date.22State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Bureau of Firearms

When you come back to pick up the gun, you have to perform a safe handling demonstration in front of the dealer. The steps vary by firearm type and action, but all require safe muzzle direction and trigger discipline throughout.23Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4257 Pass the demonstration, settle any remaining fees, and the firearm is yours.

California also enacted a one-firearm-per-30-day limit covering all firearm types.24California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27535 A federal court injunction issued in August 2024 currently blocks enforcement, so as long as that injunction stands, there is no cap on how many firearms an eligible person can buy within 30 days.20State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Frequently Asked Questions Check the DOJ firearms FAQ before relying on it; the status can shift.

Buying Ammunition

Ammunition purchases are not a walk-in transaction. Every sale has to go through a licensed ammunition vendor, and the DOJ must electronically approve it before you take possession. The department cross-references your name, date of birth, address, and ID number against its Automated Firearms System. If your information matches a registered firearm and you are not a prohibited person, approval is usually fast. If it does not match, the standard check denies the transaction, though a one-time purchase authorization is available for an added fee.25California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 30370

Out-of-state residents cannot clear this system, so visitors and non-residents are effectively blocked from buying ammunition in California.

Private Party Sales

You cannot sell or hand a firearm to a buyer directly in California, even if both of you are eligible to own one. Every private transfer has to be processed through a licensed dealer, who runs the same DROS background check and imposes the same 10-day waiting period that applies to retail purchases. On top of the $31.19 DROS fee, the dealer charges its own transfer fee, which varies by shop. Total transfer costs commonly run from about $35 to over $100.

Carrying a Firearm in Public

Open carry of a handgun is illegal in incorporated cities and designated areas of unincorporated counties, loaded or unloaded.26California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 26350 Carrying any loaded firearm in those same areas, including long guns, is separately prohibited and can be charged as a misdemeanor with up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Prior felony convictions or gang involvement bump it to a felony.27California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 25850

To legally carry concealed, you need a Concealed Carry Weapon license from your county sheriff or local police chief.28California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 26150 SB 2 replaced the old subjective “good cause” standard with an objective list of disqualifiers. If you are not disqualified and you meet the training, age, and registration requirements, the sheriff must issue the license.29State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Regulations – Carry Concealed Weapons Licenses You must complete a training course and be the registered owner of every firearm listed on the permit.

SB 2 also created a long list of “sensitive places” where CCW holders would be barred from carrying, including hospitals, public transit, bars, parks, libraries, places of worship, and most privately owned businesses open to the public that have not posted a sign allowing carry. Federal courts have largely blocked enforcement of those provisions while litigation continues, so CCW holders currently face fewer location restrictions than SB 2 intended. That could change if the injunctions are lifted.

Carrying concealed without a license is a misdemeanor in most cases, with up to a year in jail and a fine up to $1,000. It becomes a felony if you have a prior felony conviction, are a prohibited person, or the firearm is stolen.30California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 25400

Transporting a Firearm in a Vehicle

Handguns must be unloaded and kept in a locked container any time they are in your vehicle. California defines a locked container as a fully enclosed container secured by a padlock, key lock, combination lock, or similar device. The trunk qualifies; the glove compartment and utility compartment do not.31California Legislative Information. California Code, Penal Code PEN 1685032State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Transporting Firearms in California

Rifles and shotguns don’t need to be in a locked container during transport, but they must be unloaded. Registered assault weapons are the exception: they must be unloaded and locked in a container, and you can only move them between specific locations such as your home, a shooting range, or a gunsmith.

Storing a Firearm at Home

If you own a firearm and share your home with someone who is prohibited from possessing one, whether due to a felony conviction, a restraining order, or any other disqualification, you must keep the firearm securely stored or under your direct control at all times. Leaving it accessible to the prohibited person is a misdemeanor.33California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 25135 Securely stored means kept in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock so it cannot be fired. The rule applies to anyone 18 or older who owns or lawfully occupies the residence.

Separately, every firearm sold by a dealer must come with a state-approved firearm safety device unless the buyer demonstrates they already own a qualifying gun safe, and the dealer must verify this at the point of sale. Most homeowner’s insurance policies also expect secure storage.