Moving to California

[DV1911]

Moving to Sacramento, CA due to some family issues. I'm a Nevada resident and own several custom pistols and rifles that are not approved for sale in California. What do I do with them. Hate to have to sell them away, is there a way I can keep them? I don't want to get in trouble with the laws there since they are so strict and have my right to own a firearm taken away.

 

[Blackbeard]

Want me to hold 'em for you?

You have any relatives who can store them while you're in La-la land?

 

[Gordon Fink]

You’re fine unless the firearms are “assault weapons.” However, you will have to register any handguns you bring.

~G. Fink

 

[DV1911]

Thats the thing all my relatives are in California, and my wifes family are in Wisconsin. Don't want my in-laws holding my collection if you know what i mean.

 

[ArmedBear]

you will have to register any handguns you bring.

Yeah, because if you get caught carrying them around loaded and concealed, and they're not in the database, you can get into legal trouble. Of course, it's not legal to carry them around loaded and concealed, anyway... It's hard for me to figure out what, exactly, these laws are supposed to do...

Sac'to is a nasty place, but still expensive. You won't stay there, anyway, if you have a choice. OTOH there are places not to far from there that you might actually fall in love with. Storing some guns in Nevada is not a bad idea until you decide what your future holds, but that's just to avoid having to pay for registering them and getting them "on the books" here. Is there anywhere you can rent storage? I know people stored guns out of state to avoid registering their Colt Sporters in 2000.

That said, apart from magazine limits and certain banned "assault weapons", the laws here are usually not quite as oppressive as people on here seem to think. They're just a PITA and you have to get to know what they are. Don't listen to people who are from other places and tell you all sorts of stories: I've read stuff on here that's so out of line with reality, it's not even funny. It often seems to be written by people from across the continent, who have never been here, have never read our gun laws, but for some reason think they know all about them.

You can be a "personal importer" of any regular handgun (unless it's an "assault pistol" -- see legal definition). It need not be "on the list".

 

[brighamr]

My rec's:

1) Get a safe deposit box in NV. Leave your weapons there.
2) Get a small long term storage some place. Store them there, but be dang sure you double or triple lock it, and wrap them good (moisture).
3) Talk to an FFL or whomever you know in the gun community in NV. They most likely would store the weapons for you, or would know of a gun friendly place to keep them.

YMMV

 

[DV1911]

Thanks for the insight fellas. What if I keep my Nevada ID and DL but live in California and bring them with me without registering them in CA. I'm not planning to be a permanent resident of CA. Just a short period of time 1-2 years at most.

 

[Darthbauer]

Thanks for the insight fellas. What if I keep my Nevada ID and DL but live in California and bring them with me without registering them in CA. I'm not planning to be a permanent resident of CA. Just a short period of time 1-2 years at most.

Even if you have an out of state residence it is still illegal to have anything that would be considered illegal here. Handgun wise make sure you dont bring in anything with a threaded barrel and no Hi-cap mags unless they are pre-ban (cops can still give you crap for this and unless you have a reciept with the date you bought them might still bust you for it) As for rifle's, if they are AR's then just get some 10 round mags and lock them in there and register the lower. If you have SBR's dont even bother bringing them. It really depends on what your trying to bring in. Theres almost ways around anything. Just got to jump through the legal loop holes.

 

[CountGlockula]

Welcome to Cali!

 

[Ergosphere]

If they are AR's... register the lower.

No, you can't register assault weapons anymore. Check the DoJ list and make sure you don't bring any weapons on that list.

 

[ArmedBear]

Also, there's no reason to register a legal lower with a magazine lock. It's not legally an "assault weapon".

 

[serrano]

and no Hi-cap mags unless they are pre-ban (cops can still give you crap for this and unless you have a reciept with the date you bought them might still bust you for it)

That would be felony importation - I'd recommend you not do that.

To possess magazines over 10 rounds in California you would have had to have owned them in the state of CA prior to the 1999 ban.

 

[Zoogster]

You must also pay the DOJ for the privelidge of registering all of your pistols. All of them however may come, unless they are considered "assault weapons" like any pistol with a magazine outside the pistol grip such as an AR, AK type of pistol or a tec 9 variant (which are banned by name anyways, but even if they were not they are banned by the magazine outside pistol grip feature.)

Even a clone of the old Mauser broomhandle of 1896 would be an assault weapon by CA law because it has a detachable magazine outside the pistol grip.

No magazines can be imported into the state if they hold over 10 rounds of ammunition.

You are more likely to find your rifles and shotguns are prohibited by features, or by name, than your pistols.

As for rifle's, if they are AR's then just get some 10 round mags and lock them in there and register the lower.

You cannot register assault weapons anymore, and unless they open a window for a weapon not currently an assault weapon prior to becoming one, that has been the case for awhile.
Attempting to register one is a good way to admit on an official form to felony possession of one, and end up a felon and/or going to prison.


Also use your head, and don't take other's word for some things without double checking the statutes. Many clones of various firearms outlawed as assault rifles are legaly sold with various odd features in CA, or painstakingly assembled by people to comply with the law, but they are intentionaly off list and imported into CA with that in mind by people that know the law.
However the exact same design from outside of the state may in fact be banned by name because it was not imported into the state with use in CA in mind. What that means is a "Colt" AR 15 might in fact be an illegal assault weapon even with features that make other identical models comply with CA law.
That is because it is banned by name, while another may not be.

So don't "just get some 10 round magazines and lock them in there" unless it is an off list model or you will be walking around with a felony assault weapon with locked magazines.

 

[ArmedBear]

Even a clone of the old Mauser broomhandle of 1896 would be an assault weapon by CA law because it has a detachable magazine outside the pistol grip.

It does?

The ones I've seen have internal box mags and are loaded with stripper clips. This picture is from a California dealer who has them for sale.

DV1911: go to http://www.calguns.net for all the info you might want, and then some. It is detailed, and the stuff Zoogster said about AW laws is true, at least in part (I'm not sure about the current status of felony vs. misdemeanor violations, and the letter of the law vs. what the courts have ruled enforceable). It is true that certain AR-15 lowers are banned by name, though others are not. Most anything that existed in 1999 is banned by name, most everything introduced since then is not, but only if assembled in certain ways. You do have to know the petty details, and CalGuns is the place to find them. That said, if you have a Colt AR-15, you can remove all the parts and put them in a lower from J&T with the right size holes, add a CA-legal magazine catch button, and voila your gun is legal in California.

 

[cyclist]

What if I keep my Nevada ID and DL but live in California and bring them with me without registering them in CA. I'm not planning to be a permanent resident of CA. Just a short period of time 1-2 years at most.

When I lived there for awhile many/several years ago California passed some sort of regulation defining legal residency status for people trying to use the "I just work here but I'm a resident of elsewhere" argument to sidestep vehicle emmissions laws. Back then it was something like if you slept in California for more than 6 months total then they required you to have a Cal driver's license and considered you a resident. There was one guy who had a house in southern Oregon and commuted every week to southern California and he had to fight to keep his Oregon driver's license.

I'd suggest keeping an apartment in Reno or Sparks or someplace cheap and keep your gear there, along with a part-time job there (work every other weekend at a bicycle shop or something). But check into the legalities of this before you try it. And as far as what to bring, I'd strongly suggest staying within the rules, California doesn't play nice with people who knowingly skirt the law and they have no problem making an example out of you if they can.

Couldn't you just drive to Sacramento on a Friday night after work in Nevada and spend the weekend with the family, then drive back to Freedom, Nevada on Sunday night, all without having a California job? It's only 100 miles or so and only takes a couple of hours each way outside of the winter road closures over the mountain passes. That's what I'd try to do if I had to.

 

[bruss01]

Lots of misinformation in this thread so far...

1st, you do not need to surrender your pistols or revolvers. Once you move here, you have x number of days (I believe it's 60) to register them with the state, which only requires a simple form and a nominal fee.

2nd - Leave any hi cap magazines outside CA. Stash them with a friend, keep them in a rented storage locker, burry them on public land, but don't bring them into CA. You can find 10 round magazines for your pistols after you move here.

3rd - don't worry about the "roster of approved handguns" - that is only for purchasing new. You can move here owning whatever you owned in your previous state of residence - provided the pistol isn't technically an assault weapon. 95% of all pistols will be just fine.

4th - You won't get a CCW permit in Sacramento county. Don't carry concealed without one. It's worse if your pistol is unregistered. You may not keep a loaded gun in a vehicle. Pistols must be unloaded and locked in a container for transport.

5th - if you have any AR or AK series fun guns, (basically anything semi-auto with a pistol grip) then you need a friend or a storage locker outside CA to keep them for you until you move out of state.

There are some other technicalities, as someone else recommended, check www.calguns.net for the gory details.

YES you can own guns for recreation and defense in CA! But it requires you to have a few smarts about how to do it the LEGAL way. Do your homework, it's worth it!

 

[Zoogster]

It does?

The ones I've seen have internal box mags and are loaded with stripper clips. This picture is from a California dealer who has them for sale.

Some of the very early models, and the later models had detachable magazines.


You can also remove the floor plate and install one.
Some models came from the factory with detachable magazines.

 

[Darthbauer]

You cannot register assault weapons anymore, and unless they open a window for a weapon not currently an assault weapon prior to becoming one, that has been the case for awhile.
Attempting to register one is a good way to admit on an official form to felony possession of one, and end up a felon and/or going to prison.

No, you can't register assault weapons anymore.

Also, there's no reason to register a legal lower with a magazine lock. It's not legally an "assault weapon".

Then how did I legally register my AR here in CA??

 

[glockman19]

Welcome...Hope you enjoy your stay.

As others have posted, check out www.calguns.net you will find lots of valable info.

Also, If you do decide to get a CA DL and become a resident then you could sell any NON-DOJ approved handgun in a PPT once in the state for a premium.

 

[ArmedBear]

5th - if you have any AR or AK series fun guns, (basically anything semi-auto with a pistol grip) then you need a friend or a storage locker outside CA to keep them for you until you move out of state.

This is simply not true. If you have certain ones that are banned by name, you have to do this. If you have others, they can be modified cheaply and easily. You may find it a bit strange, shooting your AR with a Bullet Button and a 10-rounder, but you can do this and many of us do.

You can also remove the floor plate and install one.

California's laws are not like the NFA or other Federal laws have been.

A gun's current state of assembly is what is or is not legal. There's no law against a gun because of what could be done with it.

E.g., an AR with a magazine held into the magazine well with a screw and spacer instead of a spring and button is legal, even if you have the regular button and spring for it and they could be swapped in, in a few seconds.

If you DO convert your C96, it could become illegal (although I believe that C&R firearms are automatically exempt from being classified as "assault weapons"). But as long as that floorplate is there, you're not violating any law.

CalGuns.

 

[ArmedBear]

Then how did I legally register my AR here in CA??

You must have done it when the registry was open, i.e. before December 31, 2000.

BTW, you can find a list of specifically-banned "assault weapons", as well as regulations regarding features here: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/regs/

 

[Zoogster]

Then how did I legally register my AR here in CA??

Anyone in the state can legaly register themselves as the owner of any legal or even illegal weapon.

You simply submit a Firearm Ownership Record to the DOJ for any firearm you own if you wish to register it.
It is not required, and if the weapon is an assault weapon it will not make it legal as the window to register them was narrow and is closed.

Occasionaly they would declare a new weapon an assault weapon and open a new window to register it as required by law.
They stopped doing that though because many people would intentionaly get firearms they felt would be banned because once banned and then legaly registered as assault weapons they were then immune to laws against other assault weapon features, and could have all the features they wanted.
The Attorney General and DOJ realized this and have not labeled any new assault weapons for awhile to insure the banned by features list applies. A sort of stalemate in law at the present time.

However if your AR is an assault weapon under CA law, then it is still a felony for you to have even if you just randomly chose to register it. Like I said you could register a single shot .22 rimfire rifle if you wanted on a Firearm Ownership Record form if you choose to. Legaly nothing is changed.

If it is not legaly an assault weapon then registering it accomplished nothing except insuring the state has that in thier records and databases.

 

[ArmedBear]

Like I said you could register a single shot .22 rimfire rifle if you wanted on a Firearm Ownership Record form if you choose to.

True enough.

People may do this for insurance purposes, for example.

Most of us figure that the state of California (with 4 new laws per day) is a greater threat to our gun ownership than any burglar, so we'd just as soon not create extra paper trails. However, collectors with valuable guns that they don't believe to be threatened by random legislation, might want the gun to be in the database for this reason.

 

[Darthbauer]

You must have done it when the registry was open, i.e. before December 31, 2000.

I registered it alittle more than a month ago.


The gun shop I buy from sells CA legal AR's. If you get a ten round mag and lock it in the mag well it is CA legal. I have been in the store when cops are there and they not only dont care but buy weapons from the guy.


From what ive been told, its not a AW if the mag is locked in the weapon. So your not registering an AW, just a rifle.


Hell Bushmaster sells a CA legal Carbon-15.

 

[Ergosphere]

Darthbauer, in CA you don't have to register long guns that aren't assault weapons.