My friend and I are planning to backpack through kali in the spring, I was wondering where I could find information on the gun laws there which would pertain to an out-of-stater and also any general info I should know regarding carry laws and possession of other weapons like knives.
visiting California... laws?
- Thread starter joop
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Darthbauer
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It really depends on where your going in CA. Laws will very from county to county and in different cities.
For the most part here, you can not carry. As simple as that.
For the most part here, you can not carry. As simple as that.
Tip #1: Nobody from California calls it "cali."
Tip #2: The place is huge. Someone would need a lot more information than you're giving to give an intelligent answer. Don't expect to read through the laws and understand them. Trust me on that.
http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/
http://www.calguns.net is a great site, like this one, but for CA shooters. It is a much better place to find accurate information, since here you will probably soon see posts from people from other states who have nothing to add, but want to rant about California.
Tip #2: The place is huge. Someone would need a lot more information than you're giving to give an intelligent answer. Don't expect to read through the laws and understand them. Trust me on that.
http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/
http://www.calguns.net is a great site, like this one, but for CA shooters. It is a much better place to find accurate information, since here you will probably soon see posts from people from other states who have nothing to add, but want to rant about California.
Darthbauer
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Some people do and it makes me want to punch them in the face.
I have met people who came to CA at 18 and were trying to be cool by sounding like rappers or something, but never a native. But I'm sure it's happened.
Still, to the OP, even if someone you meet DOES call it that, don't do it as a visitor. It can certainly be a conversation-ender.
Unlike in some other areas, most Californians don't mind people from other places. But jerk-offs and *******s aren't well-liked anywhere, and whether or not you mean it to, saying "Cali" will brand one as a jerk-off.
Darthbauer
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My sister in-law calls it Calli. 
Where are you going once you get here?
Where are you going once you get here?
Andrew Wyatt
Member
Spelling california with a K is also considered nekulturniy.
SoCalShooter
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There is NO CARRY in California unless you are a law enforcement office we need more info but if your back packing in BLM area's then you can carry a weapon openly.
Johnny,
You are very funny. How true... LOL
I heard a bunch of friends from South Bay use "Frisco", though.
Joop,
Where are you planning to go? Usually folders are ok. OC is ok too, I think.
In addition to calsgun.net, Jim Keenan has a web-site which is informative, I can not find it at the moment.
I'll update this when I find it.
-Pat
You are very funny. How true... LOL
I heard a bunch of friends from South Bay use "Frisco", though.
Joop,
Where are you planning to go? Usually folders are ok. OC is ok too, I think.
In addition to calsgun.net, Jim Keenan has a web-site which is informative, I can not find it at the moment.
I'll update this when I find it.
-Pat
BHP FAN
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We've got carry up here in the North,just got to go through the Sheriff.
The Bushmaster
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JohnnyOrygun
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California
I hated living there (if you can call it living) Gun unfriendly, sales tax, too many laws and too many people telling you how to live and work. The company I used to work for had to take samples of rain water running off of the property and send it to a lab to be tested. It is rainwater for crying out loud.
But I digress, California (and I was born there) is one of the worst places to live in the USA and own guns. 10 day waiting period on all guns, special card to purchase a handgun, and classify air guns as firearms. When I was a teenager the neighbor called the Riverside County Sheriff on me for shooting (with a bb gun) the birds eating my Dad's fruit. The sheriff's deputy brought out paperwork saying that "firing" a firearm within 1 mile of an occupied residence was against the law, not sure of the actual distance but something along 1 mile. How does a bb gun count as a firearm, there is no fire... just air pressure. :banghead:
Any rate, you pretty much out of luck unless hunting or as some others have pointed out on BLM land. Open carry isn't legal, concealed carry is almost none existent, unless you are in Northern California, the attitude towards guns is definitely different in the North. I know that when I travel in/to California I have a loaded gun in the car, legal or not, I choose to be able to defend my family and for me that requires a gun. I am physically handicapped by bad hips and am barely able to walk, so I need a gun to protect my family. I don't go looking for trouble and try to avoid dangerous areas. I don't encourage anyone to break the law, but its an individual choice.
Oregon now is much more gun friendly and we have some great hiking areas and a lot less people trying to use the same trails, lakes, rivers, and beaches. No long lines of cars or people all trying to get to the same spot.
Don't mean to sound so "down" on california, but I really didn't like living there. It has a lot of good people and a lot of great sights, but the politics, laws and regulations, and some people have ruined a really nice place.
I have ranted e'nuff
JohnnyOrygun
I hated living there (if you can call it living) Gun unfriendly, sales tax, too many laws and too many people telling you how to live and work. The company I used to work for had to take samples of rain water running off of the property and send it to a lab to be tested. It is rainwater for crying out loud.
But I digress, California (and I was born there) is one of the worst places to live in the USA and own guns. 10 day waiting period on all guns, special card to purchase a handgun, and classify air guns as firearms. When I was a teenager the neighbor called the Riverside County Sheriff on me for shooting (with a bb gun) the birds eating my Dad's fruit. The sheriff's deputy brought out paperwork saying that "firing" a firearm within 1 mile of an occupied residence was against the law, not sure of the actual distance but something along 1 mile. How does a bb gun count as a firearm, there is no fire... just air pressure. :banghead:
Any rate, you pretty much out of luck unless hunting or as some others have pointed out on BLM land. Open carry isn't legal, concealed carry is almost none existent, unless you are in Northern California, the attitude towards guns is definitely different in the North. I know that when I travel in/to California I have a loaded gun in the car, legal or not, I choose to be able to defend my family and for me that requires a gun. I am physically handicapped by bad hips and am barely able to walk, so I need a gun to protect my family. I don't go looking for trouble and try to avoid dangerous areas. I don't encourage anyone to break the law, but its an individual choice.
Oregon now is much more gun friendly and we have some great hiking areas and a lot less people trying to use the same trails, lakes, rivers, and beaches. No long lines of cars or people all trying to get to the same spot.
Don't mean to sound so "down" on california, but I really didn't like living there. It has a lot of good people and a lot of great sights, but the politics, laws and regulations, and some people have ruined a really nice place.
I have ranted e'nuff
JohnnyOrygun
A man with a gun!
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Besides BLM. lands, open carry is perfectly legal on Forest Service lands within the state.
Unloaded open carry is also legal in unincorporated areas (and towns) of the state but with a host of restrictions such as within a thousand feet of a public school. What good does packing an unloaded pistol do anyway?
Unloaded open carry is also legal in unincorporated areas (and towns) of the state but with a host of restrictions such as within a thousand feet of a public school. What good does packing an unloaded pistol do anyway?
JohnnyOrygun said:
I beg to differ. I too was born here, and am still here 62 years later. California is a great place to live, work, raise a family, own guns and even shoot them often. Not to mention that of the top 10 most conservative members of the US Congress 9 of them are from California!
Yep, except for some LEOs and special curios and relics.
Nope. You must take a firearm safety test, and some places issue cards indicating you have taken, and passed, the test but there is no special card. My CCW or open carry license, or even a copy of my POST certificate or a transcript from the Academy will suffice.
Yep, some are.
Hmmmm. Unless you lived in Eastern Tulare County in the area under the jurisdiction of the BLM which does have such a rule that one sounds bogus.
With certain restrictions, open carry is legal in California.
Nope. I have one right here on my right hip.
Southern, San Diego, to be exact.
Not bad here, either.
Then don't!
The Bushmaster
Member
Never was able to get a CCW in all the years I lived in California (the USSR of C). I have no police record and I was honorably discharged from the US Navy after 22 years service. And I tried. Seems I didn't have a good enough excuse to qualify for one. You know...Carry lots of diamonds or cash or be permanently threatened for life and limb. Living in calif. is a threat to life and limb. I now live in a state that trusts me with a concealed weapon...
Wow. Talk about thread drift. I, too, lived in kali/kalifornistan and always loved going to frisco.
But back to the OP.
The kali DOJ's number is (916) 322-3360. You could call them. They are actually quite helpful and polite. Contrary to urban myth, they are also quite knowledgeable.
Also, join this site: http://www.calguns.net/
Those guys make it a career to know every gun law in the state.
I can tell you this much, if you're thinking about going onto Corps of Engineers land (Knights Ferry, anyone?) or federal land, there are absolutely no guns allowed.
But in the state forests you can open carry. Also, in state forests, your campsite is considered your domicile and you can have weapons there.
But back to the OP.
The kali DOJ's number is (916) 322-3360. You could call them. They are actually quite helpful and polite. Contrary to urban myth, they are also quite knowledgeable.
Also, join this site: http://www.calguns.net/
Those guys make it a career to know every gun law in the state.
I can tell you this much, if you're thinking about going onto Corps of Engineers land (Knights Ferry, anyone?) or federal land, there are absolutely no guns allowed.
But in the state forests you can open carry. Also, in state forests, your campsite is considered your domicile and you can have weapons there.
Actualy that is the opposite of the truth.
State Parks and various forests are actualy off limits with severe penalties. Federal forests like National Forest are much more gun friendly.
BLM land is some of the most friendly to gun rights in the state, and that is also federal.
So the best land for gun rights, both national forests and BLM land are both federal.
While the absolute worst where it is a crime to even have a firearm inside them are State Parks and State Reserves, State monuments, etc
National Parks are also not firearm friendly, but are still more so than State Parks.
So clearly it is the Federal land that in general is far more gun friendly than State land.
For backpacking firearms rights are confusing. Many trails change from one territory to another. From a National Forest to a more restricted jurisdiction. So you need very detailed topo maps to stay legal, and the various agencies sell such maps for profit if you visit thier websites.
You generaly cannot just carry a firearm for self defense on most backpacking land. You can however carry one for "hunting". To legaly hunt you need to purchase a hunting license, and take a hunter's safety course.
What you are hunting changes the law on how many rounds you can legaly have in various types of firearms.
You can however legaly have any state legal firearm at your campsite in the state, as it becomes your legal temporary residence.
Your campsite is wherever you stop and setup camp while backpacking.
Technicaly it is legal to open carry an unloaded firearm without any license, even with ammunition on you. However some people have still had trouble with that as the police or prosecutors in some areas don't like what the law actualy says, and make up thier own version, so it is not advised.
CA law is relatively silent on legal transport of a long gun outside of a vehicle. For a pistol it must be unloaded. A pistol must also be in a locked case if concealed.
"Assault weapons" as defined by CA law (which differs from the old federal definition of the term) cannot be brought into the state. Nor can magazines that hold over 10 rounds.
Varmint hunting with a rifle does not cap capacity so 10 rounds is legal (state maximum), but shotgun magazine capacity is capped lower for all hunting. Game hunting allows fewer rounds for both rifles and shotguns.
So your best bet is a rifle for varmints, and a hunting license.
Fees for a hunting license are:
Annual resident $38.85.
Junior annual resident hunting license is $10.25.
Non resident annual hunting license is $134.95.
Two-Day Nonresident license, age 16 and over (not valid for big game) $38.85.
Reduced Fee, Disabled Veteran $6.00.
Duplicate Hunting License $6.30 .
Hunter Education Stamp is $3.75.
You will have to take a CA approved hunter education course for your hunting license.
That really is the only way to legaly provide for protection from 2 and 4 legged predators while backpacking. Some CA mountains do have a lot of mountain lions, which are a protected species within the state (heavy jail time).
So to legaly provide for your protection you will need to purchase a lot of topo maps with clear legaly defined borders that show changes in jurisdiction. You will need to purchase a hunting license. You will need to then follow hunting laws and limits whether you choose to actualy hunt or not.
Totaly cost to excercise your RKBA in some portions of the state for your longer than 2-day stay will probably cost over $200.
Non resident annual hunting license alone is $134.95.
The topo map costs will vary depending on detail and total area.
If you need to purchase CA legal magazines, change features, or purchase a whole new CA legal firearm that adds up.
That is assuming you are going to be hiking where hunting is even legal. Many of the most beautiful parts of CA do not allow firearms at all.
Welcome to CA.
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It's been a while since I lived there (3 years ago), but the Corps of Engineers land (such as Knight's Ferry) which is definitely federal, forbids firearms.
But I gave the OP the necessary numbers and website to call/visit. It would be extremely unwise for him to proceed with guns into kalifornistan based upon the opinions of anonymous posters on the internet.
Oh in addition for the hunting route, hunting at night is not legal. So carry under the pretense of legal hunting would also be illegal.
If you are legaly carrying for hunting purposes then you must follow all relevant hunting laws, which are quite numerous and more restrictive than firearms legaly possessed for defensive purposes.
Which means you would need to make camp within an hour of dusk to remain legal (or unload your weapons, and put a pistol in a locked container if you wish to conceal it), and could not resume hiking on your way until just prior to sunrise.
Use of lights over 3volts is illegal when you are anywhere that has game animals if you possess a loaded weapon.
etc etc
If you are legaly carrying for hunting purposes then you must follow all relevant hunting laws, which are quite numerous and more restrictive than firearms legaly possessed for defensive purposes.
Which means you would need to make camp within an hour of dusk to remain legal (or unload your weapons, and put a pistol in a locked container if you wish to conceal it), and could not resume hiking on your way until just prior to sunrise.
Use of lights over 3volts is illegal when you are anywhere that has game animals if you possess a loaded weapon.
etc etc
A man with a gun!
Member
I'd like to see the law quoted that says I need to have a hunting license to carry a gun on Forest Service lands within California.
Thanks for all the information guys. I will have to go to those resources to find out the particulars for my situation.
---offtopic---
As for the cali vs california debate, all of my friends who live there call it cali so it must be just the company you keep.
---offtopic---
As for the cali vs california debate, all of my friends who live there call it cali so it must be just the company you keep.
Don't worry about it.
Actually, my son is still there (the valley) and all my old friends. I never heard anybody refer to it as "cali" or San Fran as "frisco." But best of luck on your visit.
After having spent considerable time in the Sierras, Yosemite, Sequoias, the only place I ever felt the need to be armed was in LA, Oakland, Sacramento and San Fran.
shooter429
Member
Why would anybody want to go to that leftist smog hole?
People are running north from Cali by the millions cuz it is the worst state in the union in terms of civil liberties, crime, environment etc. What does California have to offer? A lot of rich hippies and a bunch of illegal criminals with traffic and congestion that is unreal.
I am waiting for the earthquake that will drop it into the sea. Hopefully with all the dirtbags that destroyed it over the last 50 years attached.
Shooter429
People are running north from Cali by the millions cuz it is the worst state in the union in terms of civil liberties, crime, environment etc. What does California have to offer? A lot of rich hippies and a bunch of illegal criminals with traffic and congestion that is unreal.
I am waiting for the earthquake that will drop it into the sea. Hopefully with all the dirtbags that destroyed it over the last 50 years attached.
Shooter429
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