Can I buy a gun online and have it shipped to California?

The steps look the same whether the seller is a large web retailer or a small shop in another state.

1. You choose a California licensed dealer to receive the firearm. The choice of dealer is yours.
2. The seller ships the firearm to that dealer, not to you. Federal law generally bars a licensed seller from delivering a firearm to someone who lives in a different state (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3)), and California requires delivery through a dealer in this state (Penal Code 27585).
3. At the dealer, you show clear evidence of identity and age, present your FSC, and the dealer submits the DROS to the Department of Justice (Penal Code 27540).
4. You wait ten 24-hour periods.
5. You return and take delivery. The firearm must be unloaded and either securely wrapped or in a locked container (Penal Code 27540(b)).

If DOJ notifies the dealer that the buyer is prohibited from having a firearm, the dealer cannot deliver it (Penal Code 27540(d)).

No. A California dealer generally cannot sell a new handgun unless that exact model is on the state's Roster of Certified Handguns. Importing, keeping, or offering an "unsafe handgun" for sale is a crime under Penal Code 32000. Many handguns sold by out-of-state websites are not on the roster, so check the model before you pay.

The DOJ roster page notes that private party transfers and handguns listed as curios or relics are exempt from the certification requirement, which matches the exceptions in Penal Code 32110. Those exceptions apply to specific kinds of transfers, not to ordinary retail orders from a website.

A second limit started on July 1, 2026. Dealers may not sell or deliver a "semiautomatic machinegun-convertible pistol," with exceptions that include private party transfers through a dealer (Penal Code 27595). The DOJ roster marks affected models with a plus sign.

Federal law lets a licensed dealer sell a rifle or shotgun to a resident of another state if the two meet in person and the sale complies with the laws of both states (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3)). California's own rule is stricter for its residents. A firearm obtained outside the state on or after January 1, 2015 must first be delivered to a California dealer, who then follows the normal delivery rules (Penal Code 27585). In practice, an out-of-state long gun takes the same path as an online order: ship to a California dealer, DROS, 10-day wait.

The long gun also has to be legal to sell and possess in California. See the CalGunHub guide to item rules for the details.

Expect these pieces, on separate lines or folded into one quote:

• The seller's price and shipping.
• State fee: $37.19 (DOJ FAQ).
• The receiving dealer's service fee. Each dealer sets its own fee for receiving a shipped firearm, so ask before the firearm ships. The $10 cap in Penal Code 28055 covers private party transfers processed under that chapter.
• 11 percent excise tax. The tax is imposed on the seller, who may collect it from the customer (CDTFA guide). Since October 1, 2025, a California dealer who hands over a firearm on behalf of an out-of-state retailer doing business in California is treated as the retailer for this tax (Revenue and Taxation Code 36001(i)(2)).
• Sales or use tax at your local rate (CDTFA guide).
• FSC: up to $25 if you do not already have one.