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The California Department of Justice ("DOJ") retains an electronic database containing relevant information nearly firearm sales and transfers. This database is critical to implementing various gun safety laws, specially those requiring people to relinquish firearms subsequently condign prohibited from keeping them, like later on being convicted of a serious firearm-prohibiting crime. For more information about this automatic record database, see the section entitled Retentiveness of Sales / Background Check Records in California.

Other land laws crave people to notify the state Department of Justice when they transport firearms into the state of California, or otherwise learn firearms without the participation of a licensed dealer in California:

Whatsoever firearm owner who moves into California is deemed a "personal firearm importer."ane Within threescore days, the person must provide a report to DOJ regarding their firearm or sell or transfer the firearm through a licensed dealer or to a sheriff or police department. The grade requires the firearm owner to expressly authorize DOJ to perform a background check to determine the owner'southward firearm eligibility using all relevant land and federal databases, including the federal NICS database. The course likewise requires the firearm possessor to certify that he or she understands that if the results of this check reveal that he or she is ineligible either to lawfully possess or purchase firearms, he or she must relinquish any and all firearms in his or her possession. Although the form does non specify the time menstruation during which the person must then relinquish his or her firearms, presumably he or she must do so immediately, since his or her possession of those firearms is at all times unlawful.two

A person who moves into the state and is in possession of an attack weapon or a.l BMG rifle may either obtain a let from DOJ earlier entering the state with the firearm, or crusade the firearm to exist delivered to a licensed dealer who will shop the weapon until the person obtains a allow.3

A notice must exist posted conspicuously at every inspection station along the California border, in cake messages not less than four inches in superlative, stating:

"Find: IF You ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, THE FEDERAL GUN CONTROL ACT MAY PROHIBIT You FROM BRINGING WITH Y'all INTO THIS STATE FIREARMS THAT YOU ACQUIRED OUTSIDE OF THIS Country. IN Add-on, IF YOU ARE A NEW CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, Country LAW REGULATES YOUR BRINGING INTO CALIFORNIA HANDGUNS AND OTHER DESIGNATED FIREARMS AND MANDATES THAT SPECIFIC PROCEDURES BE FOLLOWED. IF Y'all HAVE Whatever QUESTIONS Nigh THE PROCEDURES TO Exist FOLLOWED IN BRINGING FIREARMS INTO CALIFORNIA OR TRANSFERRING FIREARMS WITHIN CALIFORNIA, YOU SHOULD CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA Department OF JUSTICE OR A LOCAL CALIFORNIA Law ENFORCEMENT AGENCY."4

In addition, any person who lawfully possessed an assault weapon or .50 BMG rifle prior to the appointment possession of the specific assault weapon or.50 BMG rifle became illegal, and who sought to keep the firearm, must have registered the firearm with DOJ within a specific fourth dimension menstruum designated past statute. For more than information, run across DOJ's website regarding Oftentimes Asked Questions About Assault Weapons and.fifty BMG Rifles and see our sections entitled Assault Weapons in California and .l Caliber Rifles in California.

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  1. Cal. Penal Code § 17000.[↩]
  2. Cal. Penal Lawmaking § 27560.[↩]
  3. Cal. Penal Code §§ 30925, 30940.[↩]