You will also have to get a handgun safety certificate that is good for five years to have your handguns, unless you are exempt.
Wrong. You only need one if you are BUYING handguns here. Transfers into state and keeping already owned handguns do not require a card.
50 Shooter, you should have added that there are no private party long gun or handgun sales/transfers in Calif., without both people going through a FFL dealer, background checks, waiting period, etc.
Almost right. There are a few exceptions (intra-familial transfer of longarms, for example).
Californians have a history of not fighting the gun controls put on them.
Are you kidding me? Laws being passed doesn't mean that they aren't being fought on election day or in the courts. CA has had a LOT of victories on the gun rights front recently, but most folks outside the state are too busy talking trash to notice (if you like buying AR-15 lowers and building up your rifle yourself, thank CA gun owners for that privilege, since none of the major manufacturers were willing to sell a la carte lowers until they realized it was a way to tap the CA market).
If you don't want a bad name then stay home and clean up your state.
Um, that doesn't even make sense in the context of the original poster's question. He's moving TO California, not leaving it. You imply that his home state (which he hasn't specified) is not "clean". We could do without the trash talking, especially when it doesn't even make sense.
As for bullet buttons, prince 50's, and other maglocks, they are a way of fixing the magazine into the lower so that it can't be removed without a "tool" (the law gives the tip of a bullet as an example of a tool, hence the name "bullet button"). Basically, they replace the magazine release button with a drop-in part that requires an allen wrench, bullet tip, or other tool to allow you to depress the magazine release, depending on which version you buy and install. This fulfills the letter of the law, and re-classifies the weapon as having a fixed magazine, and thus, "evil" features are allowed (pistolgrip, forward pistol grip, etc). The modifications are not permanent, provided you know how to strip and re-assemble a lower (it's not that hard, and there are plenty of youtube videos demonstrating the process), so you can install the original mag release if and when you travel out of state, move, or we get rid of the ban. One type of maglock requires only a turn of an allen wrench to turn on or off the maglock, allowing for quickly alternating back and forth between locked and unlocked, for example if you live on the state line and shoot in AZ or NV.
I've seen the "california model" versions of a whole bunch of semi autos. The Cal version is either a pump, a single shot, or has a severely altered mag well if it's still semi auto. Fine, I didn't explain the entire thousand page picture , but I wasn't "totally wrong."
As Librarian has pointed out, this is totally off base, and has been for about 2 years. You are indeed *almost* totally wrong. We tried to tell you, pointed you to the right places to get the primary sources yourself, but your ego is in the way of giving people USEFUL INFORMATION about the current state of CA law.
For the original poster: You probably don't need to leave your original lowers in your home state, PROVIDED that they are not named assault weapon lowers, and you are willing to install a MM grip, or a maglock. If you aren't familiar with that process, or not willing to, lowers are not that expensive ($150 or so before the election, anyway).
For pistols you only need to do two things: Leave the hicap mags outside the state, and fill out the registration paperwork for the handguns. You may want to buy some non-hicap mags for your handguns. (hicap is defined as 10+ rounds in detachable or centerfire magazines. Tubular rimfire magazines are I believe exempt, but better to check an official source). Your 8 round revolvers are fine.
, but I wasn't "totally wrong."
