California - Ownership vs Future Purchase?

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Jaywalker

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I'm curious about a person moving to California with his current gun collection, purchased out of state. In general, what are the restrictions against owning and what are just restrictions against future purchases?

I've been told police will confiscate my 15-round Glock magazines, so I'm calling that "restrictions against owning."

I'm aware that there are Calif-compliant AR-15-type rifles, so I'm calling non-compliant rifles "restrictions against future purchase."

So, what could a person keep and what would he have to sell before moving to California.
 
You're best bet is to join calguns. net. There are some flow charts and things you can follow.

Very generally speaking:
No mags over 10 rounds.

No 'assault rifles' and very generally speaking those are semi auto center fire rifles with detachable mags and pistol grips (but there are other disqualifying features)

No assault pistols - I forget how they define those exactly but I know you cant have a forward grip like some AR pistols

No SBR's

No suppressors

No flash hiders

There is more to it than that of course.
 
They just added new restrictions on "assault rifles" this year. Basically, if it's a semi-auto and has a detachable mag, it becomes illegal if it also has a pistol grip stock and/or a threaded muzzle and/or a few other features that are escaping me at the moment. The bullet button workaround is now also illegal.

The only way you can legally have an AR in California is either with a stock that isn't a pistol grip or thumbhole (thumbhole stocks on ARs are also illegal) or get one of those modification kits that require the user to break the rifle open in order to reload.
 
It's all at Calguns.NET... The search function is a bit wonky, but if you spend enough time reading past all the BS, you soon see where you'd have to be. We have a classification of Registered Assault Weapon (RAW), which just means that you and the CA DOJ have your rifle in their database with config pictures, etc.

Most of us are converting to featureless so we don't have to register (again, more, etc.). But if you are a real AR enthusiast or a auto loading pistol person and you just have to have them, maybe you don't want to move here ...

OTOH, if you like playing rule games and messing with configs, it's the perfect place to be :D
 
The laws are getting worse at a quick pace.

Modern rifles on a banned list are not allowed, rifles not on that list are banned by features and some of those rifles you can make comply by removing those features such as a pistol grip, while other rifles are banned by name and cannot be made legal in any way. So you would have to check the list of banned by name rifles and shotguns, and if not on that list can try to spend money to make them featureless.
Most rifles that are not semi auto and hold less than 10 rounds are less complicated, with the exception of .50 BMG rifles which are also banned no matter what type of firearm they are chambered in.

Various shotguns are banned and some cannot even have features allowed on rifles.

Assault weapon definition applies to even basic semi auto handguns with a threaded barrel. A threaded barrel alone makes it an illegal assault weapon if it has a detachable magazine.
You can bring in the handguns you already own if they are not 'assault weapons', but once in the state are limited to a list of handguns approved by the state for purchase and cease to be able to purchase most handguns coming out on the market in the rest of the nation.

The state requires you pay a fee and register (report) every firearm when you enter the state within 60 days, considering you a firearm importer under the law.
All guns purchased in the state are automatically registered as of 2014.

Magazines are limited to 10 rounds or less unless you are law enforcement.

Ammunition requires a license to purchase starting soon.

The state has easier ways to become a prohibited person than at the national level, and a CADOJ team that goes around disarming people that become prohibited and are registered gun owners.

That is enough to get you started. The complex details would be confusing to try and take in all at once.
 
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Wow. Thanks. I see some of those discussions in shorthand in discussions between a couple of Californians, but even the questioners seem to understand some basics that I didn't. It's discouraging.
 
California is moving towards confiscation. You may lose that gun collection if you move here. I'm leaving, as are some of my friends and relatives.
 
California is moving towards confiscation. You may lose that gun collection if you move here. I'm leaving, as are some of my friends and relatives.

If the National election had gone the other way I have no doubt we would see confiscation in California by 2020.

The ONLY thing that's going to stop the madness there is the power of the Federal Government. Start with getting at least two good judges on the Supreme Court. Get some legislation passed through Congress. A good example would be National Reciprocity. California is sure to have a fit over that. Let them, let them get the 9th Circuit to give them a ruling it's Unconstitutional. Let it go to the Supreme Court with the new Judges. Let California hold their breath till they turn blue. Then have the Trump administration start withholding funds.
 
A big thing no one has mentioned is the CA roster of not unsafe handguns.
Any semi-auto you're ever going to want you need to buy before you move to California. If you buy way too many before moving it's OK, you can sell anything off roster at a premium once you get here.
 
I am in the similar situation of "maybe" moving to California (job, family, etc.). I am not happy to find my Colt AR (M4 carbine) is on the banned list (all Colts). But I have a Spikes tactical stripped receiver which is not on the banned list, so my Colt LE6920 will be transformed into a Spikes LE6920 and will be made "featureless" to avoid being a RAW.
 
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