We hope you will have years of enjoyment with your purchase, and we hope you will spread the word about how fun the shooting sports are. There are many laws and regulations that must be followed to purchase a firearm, which have been summarized and simplified below. Because new laws and regulations are added frequently, be sure to check with your local firearms dealer before making a purchase to avoid potentially costly mistakes.
Federal and State law requires that you pass a background check before you can take possession of a firearm. This is the DROS (Dealer’s Record Of Sale) process. This background check costs $37.19.
Buying a gun requires that you furnish either a valid (not expired or hole-punched) hard copy CA Driver License or CA ID card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. You must have the license or ID in hand to start the process, electronic or printed copies or pictures of licenses and ID’s will not be accepted. Military identification is also acceptable if accompanied by permanent duty station orders indicating a posting in California, and we must make a retain copies of both.
Temporary driver licenses and temporary identification cards are not accepted forms of proof of identity and age.
YOU MAY NOT REGISTER A FIREARM WITH AN INTERIM DRIVER LICENSE.
If your driver license has “Federal Limits Apply” on it (top right corner) you must bring in a valid Passport or Birth Certificate in addition to your driver license or ID Card. The only exception is for Military Personnel on active duty, in which case a Military ID card plus a copy of your orders to CA is sufficient. If your Driver License or ID card does not have your correct address, or has a PO box, you will need to furnish an additional government-issued proof of residence, as described below.
After the DROS process is started, there is a ten day “cooling off” period, where we store your firearm(s). Literally, you may not pick up your firearm until 240 hours after we submit the DROS. For example, if you purchase a firearm on the 4th of the month at 2:00, you may not pick up the firearm until after 2:00 on the 14th of the month. Also, the background check expires after 30 days, so if you leave your firearm for more than 30 days, you will have to start another DROS process, and pay for the background check all over again, plus wait an additional 10 days.
Beginning January 1st, 2015, all firearm purchasers must have a Firearms Safety Certificate (valid for either handguns or long guns). You must pass a 30-question test and pay a $25 fee for the FSC card. We offer the test in the store, and it takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. A link to the CA DOJ Study Guide for the FSC program can be found here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/forms/hscsg.pdf
The exemptions to the FSC requirement are as follows:
- X13 = FFL collector with COE (curio and relic handguns only)
- X21 = Military – Active Duty
- X22 = Military – Reserve
- X25 = Military – Honorably Retired
- X31 = Peace Officer – California – Active
- X32 = Peace Officer – Federal – Active
- X33 = Peace Officer – California – Honorably Retired
- X34 = Peace Officer – California – Reserve
- X35 = Peace Officer – Federal – Honorably Retired
- X41 = Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) Permit Holder (California Only)
- X81 = P.O.S.T. 832 PC (Firearms) Training
- X98 = Valid Hunting License (long guns only)
Proof of residency
A proof of residence is required if you are buying a handgun, OR if your current address is not on your CA Driver License or CA ID Card.
If your current address is not on your Driver License or ID Card, then it does not satisfy the requirement of a government-issued document. Since you must provide a government-issued document with your name and current address on it the list of acceptable documents is short:
- Current DMV Disabled Placard.
- Current DMV Registrations.
- Valid Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) Permit.
- Valid Curio and Relic (C&R) Federal Firearms License (03 FFL) with name and address.
- Valid Resident Hunting License issued by Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Valid Fishing License: Commercial, Resident Sport, and Lifetime licenses issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Examples of acceptable proof of residence if your current address IS on your Driver License or ID Card:
- Current DMV Disabled Placard.
- Current DMV Registrations.
- Electricity, gas, cable bill with purchaser’s name and address on it from within the last 60 days
- Resident Hunting License issued by Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Fishing License: Commercial, Resident Sport & Lifetime licenses issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- Signed, dated and notarized rental/lease agreement/contract.
- Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) Permit. California Only
- Curio and Relic (C&R) Federal Firearms License (03 FFL) with name and address.
Please keep in mind that anything to be used as a proof of residence must be valid (not expired) on the day the firearm is registered. We will not accept licenses or documents that expire on the day you are attempting to register a firearm.
Examples of documents that are NOT acceptable proof of residency:
- Active Duty Military Spouse ID
- Bank Statement
- Car Insurance
- Brown Card
- Cellular Phone bill
- Fishing Validations and Report Cards
- Pay Stub
- Voter Registration
- Correspondence with the IRS or other government office
- W2
- Property Tax
- 1 Day Fishing Licenses
- Car Titles, Pink Slips
- Out of State CCW
Between Federal, State, and local law, all firearms sold in our store must be sold with a California Certified Lock. If the firearm does not come with a lock, we are required to provide one at additional cost.
If the purchaser is not a U.S. Citizen, then he or she is required to demonstrate that he or she is legally within the United States by providing the firearms dealer with documentation containing his/her Alien Registration Number or I-94 Number.
Fees for purchasing a firearm
There are 3 primary types of firearm transactions in California, each with their own set of fees:
1) Dealer Purchase. A customer buys a firearm directly from us. We procure the firearm, and handle all the appropriate paperwork. We incorporate our fees in the price of the gun, but you are responsible for paying the DROS (Dealers Record Of Sale) fee, which is currently $37.19, plus any applicable sales tax.
2) Face-to-Face Private Party Transaction (PPT). A customer buys a firearm from another private party, in person. The firearm is not shipped to our store; rather the buyer and seller meet at our store and conduct the sale in person. We process the paperwork on behalf of the buyer and seller; and the fees are the $37.19 DROS, plus a $10 processing fee. If the firearm does not include a CA Certified gun lock, the buyer must purchase one from us. We will not be conducting multi-gun Private Party Transfers at this time. If you have a single-gun private party transfer we can accommodate you. We stop processing Private Party Transfers at 4 PM Monday – Saturday. Additionally we will only be processing one PPT per customer per 10 day period. All parties must have all necessary documentation on hand in order to start the process. No exceptions.
3) Non-Local firearm transaction. A customer buys a firearm from another dealer or private party, either in person or online. The firearm is shipped to us, and the buyer comes into our store to complete the transaction. The buyer is responsible for the DROS fee, a $125 processing fee per firearm, plus applicable sales tax. In addition, if the firearm does not include a CA Certified gun lock, the buyer must purchase one from us. You must fill out a Firearms Transfer Form and fax, email, or deliver a copy to us prior to the firearm(s) being received.
Click here for the transfer form: FFL Transfer Form
FFL for Dealer Transfers ONLY.
