California gun laws compared to other states are consistently stricter at almost every step: buying, owning, carrying, transporting, and storing a firearm all involve rules that either don’t exist elsewhere or apply more narrowly. If you’re moving here, visiting with firearms, or trying to figure out what changes when you cross the state line, the short version is that California requires more paperwork, more waiting, and more restrictions on what you can own and where you can take it than the great majority of states.
Buying a Firearm
Every firearm sale or transfer in California has to go through a licensed dealer, and that includes private sales between two individuals.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 27545 There is no private-sale exception. If a neighbor wants to sell you a rifle, the two of you still have to walk into a dealer, pay a fee, and let them run the background check. Most states allow private sales without one, because federal law only mandates checks when a licensed dealer is the seller.
Once you submit a purchase application, you cannot take the gun home for at least 10 days.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 26815 That waiting period runs from whichever comes last: the application, any corrections to it, or payment of the required fees. It applies to every purchase, not just your first. Most states impose no waiting period.
The age floor is higher too. Federal law allows 18-year-olds to buy long guns from a dealer; California generally requires you to be 21 for any firearm. Narrow exceptions apply to active-duty military, law enforcement, and holders of a valid California hunting license, who may buy rifles and shotguns at 18.3State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearms Frequently Asked Questions
You also need a Firearm Safety Certificate before a dealer will process any transaction.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 31615 You earn it by passing a 30-question written test on state gun laws and safety with a score of at least 75 percent. The test costs $25, and the certificate is good for five years.5State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearm Safety Certificate FAQs If you already own firearms and are moving to California, you don’t need a certificate to bring them in, but you’ll need one for any future purchase. Very few states require any kind of knowledge test.
Starting April 1, 2026, California caps purchases at three firearms in any 30-day window.6California Department of Justice. Information Bulletin 2026-DLE-02 – New and Amended Firearms Laws The prior one-per-30-day rule covered only handguns and certain semi-automatic rifles; the new limit covers everything. This kind of frequency cap is uncommon nationally.
What You Can’t Own in California
California classifies certain semi-automatic firearms as “assault weapons” based on features. A semi-automatic centerfire rifle with a detachable magazine qualifies if it has any one of several listed features, including a protruding pistol grip, a folding or telescoping stock, or a flash suppressor.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30515 Similar feature-based rules apply to pistols and shotguns. The federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and was not renewed, so a rifle that is a legal off-the-shelf purchase in Texas or Arizona can be felony-level contraband in California.
Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds are banned. The prohibition reaches manufacturing, importing, selling, giving, lending, buying, receiving, and possessing them. Sale or manufacture can bring up to a year in county jail; possession alone can be charged as an infraction with a $100-per-magazine fine or as a misdemeanor with up to a year in jail.8California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 32310 In March 2025, an 11-judge Ninth Circuit panel upheld the ban, reversing a lower court that had struck it down. Further appeal to the Supreme Court is expected. Most states set no magazine capacity limit at all.
California also maintains a Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale, and dealers can only sell listed models.9California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Handguns Certified for Sale To make the roster, a handgun must pass firing, safety, and drop tests. New semi-automatic models must also include a magazine disconnect and microstamping. Because almost no manufacturer has adopted microstamping, the roster shrinks each year as older models drop off and few new ones qualify. No other state runs a comparable system.
Carrying a Firearm in Public
After the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, California rewrote its concealed carry rules through Senate Bill 2. The state is now technically “shall-issue,” meaning the licensing authority must grant a permit if you meet the objective criteria rather than judging your need.10State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Regulations – Carry Concealed Weapons Licenses Those criteria include being at least 21, completing a training course, being the recorded owner of the firearm, and passing a background check.11California Legislative Information. Senate Bill 2 The background investigation is heavier than in many states, with detailed disqualifiers and a catch-all for anyone “reasonably likely to be a danger” to themselves or others. The licensing authority may also require psychological testing at your expense. Twenty-nine states have adopted “constitutional carry,” where no permit is needed at all.
California does not recognize concealed carry permits from any other state. A Texas or Florida permit has no effect here. A recent federal court order requires California to let certain out-of-state residents who belong to specific gun rights organizations apply for a California permit, but that isn’t reciprocity, and the order is limited in scope.12State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. 2025-DLE-10 – Guidance to CCW Licensing Authorities
Even with a valid California permit, you can’t carry in a long list of places. Penal Code Section 26230 designates 29 categories of “sensitive places.” As of early 2025, 20 are being enforced while six remain blocked by a federal court injunction. The categories currently off-limits include:13California Department of Justice. 2025-DLE-06 – Additional Restrictions on CCW License Holders
- All K-12 schools, preschools, colleges, universities, and childcare facilities
- Courthouses, the State Capitol, state and local government offices, and law enforcement stations
- Public parks, playgrounds, youth centers, stadiums, arenas, amusement parks, zoos, and museums
- Public libraries and airport or passenger vessel terminals
- Bars and other establishments serving alcohol for on-site consumption, and gambling venues
- Any site regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Polling places
Most states restrict concealed carry only in a handful of locations. California’s list is one of the broadest in the country, and litigation may keep shifting the boundaries.
Open carry is broadly illegal. Openly carrying an unloaded handgun in any public place or street within an incorporated city or prohibited area is a crime.14California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 26350 Carrying a loaded firearm in public is likewise prohibited. Narrow exceptions exist for licensed hunters and certain law enforcement and military personnel. A federal challenge has been filed, but as of 2026 the open carry restrictions remain in full effect.15California Department of Justice. Information Bulletin 2026-DLE-04 – California’s Firearm Open Carry Laws Currently Remain in Effect Many states allow open carry of handguns or long guns with few or no restrictions.
Driving Through California With a Firearm
Without a concealed carry permit, a handgun in your vehicle must be unloaded and either locked in the trunk or stored in a locked container inside the vehicle.16California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 25610 A “locked container” means a fully enclosed, secure container with a padlock, key lock, combination lock, or similar device. The glove compartment and utility compartment don’t count, even if they lock.17State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Transporting Firearms in California Carrying the firearm on foot between your vehicle and wherever you’re going, it still has to be in a locked container.
Visitors from other states run into this rule constantly. In many states you can keep a loaded handgun in the center console or glove box. In California, that’s a criminal offense without a concealed carry permit. Before you cross into the state, unload, case, and lock any firearms in the trunk.
Buying Ammunition
California was the first state to require a point-of-sale background check on every ammunition purchase. A licensed vendor runs the check at the register, and ammunition ordered online has to ship to a licensed vendor for in-person pickup rather than to your door. In July 2025 the Ninth Circuit struck down that scheme as unconstitutional.18Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Rhode v. Bonta The same court granted California’s request to stay the injunction while the case continues, so the background check requirement remains enforceable for now. Plan on an in-person check through a licensed vendor until the litigation resolves.
Hunting is a separate story. Since July 2019, California has required nonlead ammunition for all hunting on public and private land. Certified nonlead ammunition must contain one percent lead or less, and wildlife officers can inspect and seize suspect cartridges.19California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nonlead Ammunition in California Target shooting isn’t covered, though some public lands restrict lead independently. You can still carry lead in a concealed handgun kept for personal protection while hunting, as long as you don’t use it to take wildlife. No other state imposes a statewide nonlead requirement for all hunting.
Building Your Own Firearm
Privately manufactured firearms, often called ghost guns, are tightly regulated. Before you build any firearm, you have to apply to the Department of Justice for a unique serial number. Once the gun is assembled, you have 10 days to engrave that number on the frame or receiver and report back to the DOJ.20California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 29180 Selling or transferring an unserialized firearm is illegal.
Without a state manufacturing license, you can assemble no more than three firearms per calendar year, and you cannot use a 3D printer or CNC milling machine at all.21California Department of Justice. California Ghost Gun Laws Reference Guide Many states have no specific homemade-firearm laws and let individuals build guns for personal use without serialization or registration.
Storing Firearms at Home
California can charge gun owners criminally for failing to secure a firearm when a child or other prohibited person is likely to gain access. The law sets three tiers:22California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 25100
- First-degree criminal storage, a felony, applies when a child or prohibited person accesses an unsecured firearm and causes death or great bodily injury.
- Second-degree criminal storage, a misdemeanor, applies when access leads to a lesser injury, or the person carries the firearm into a public place, or brandishes it.
- Third-degree criminal storage, also a misdemeanor, applies when you negligently store a firearm where you know a child could reach it, even if nothing ever happens.
The third tier is the one that catches people off guard. You can be charged simply for leaving a gun unsecured in a home where a child could get to it. Many states have some form of child access prevention law; California’s is among the most broadly written.
Gun Violence Restraining Orders
California’s red flag law lets courts temporarily remove firearms and ammunition from a person who poses a significant risk of harm to themselves or others. A gun violence restraining order can be requested by family members, household members, employers, coworkers, teachers, dating partners, co-parents, and law enforcement.23State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Domestic Violence Restraining Orders and Gun Violence Restraining Orders An initial order lasts up to 21 days, during which a hearing is scheduled. If the court then finds enough evidence of danger, it can issue a longer order lasting one to five years based on how long the risk is expected to continue.24California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 18175 The subject must surrender all firearms and ammunition for the duration. About 20 states have some version of a red flag law; California’s is one of the oldest and broadest in terms of who can petition.