How is buying a rifle or shotgun in California different from buying a handgun?

• Dealer and background check. DOJ says all firearm purchases and transfers generally go through a California licensed dealer under the Dealer's Record of Sale (DROS) process (DOJ FAQ).
• The 10-day wait. "No firearm shall be delivered" within 10 days of the application (Penal Code 26815).
• Identification. The buyer must show clear evidence of identity and age, which the Penal Code defines as a valid California driver license or California DMV identification card (Penal Code 16400).
• The FSC. A person may not purchase or receive any firearm, other than an antique, without one (Penal Code 31615).
• The purchase limit. Three firearms in any 30-day period, counted across all types (Penal Code 27535).
• State fees. DOJ lists a total state fee of $37.19 (DOJ FAQ).

A licensed dealer may not sell or deliver any firearm to a person under 21 (Penal Code 27510(a)). Handguns have no exception for 18 to 20 year olds at a dealer; a separate section also bars selling a handgun to anyone under 21 (Penal Code 27505).

For long guns, Section 27510(b) has three exceptions for buyers who are at least 18:

• Hunting license. A person with a valid, unexpired hunting license issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife may be sold a firearm that is not a handgun, semiautomatic centerfire rifle, completed frame or receiver, or firearm precursor part.
• Honorable discharge. A person with proper identification as an honorably discharged member of the Armed Forces, National Guard, Air National Guard, or active reserves may be sold a firearm that is not a handgun or semiautomatic centerfire rifle.
• Active law enforcement or military. An active peace officer, federal officer, or reserve peace officer authorized to carry a firearm on duty, or a person with proper identification of active military membership, may be sold a firearm that is not a handgun.

Since July 1, 2025, DOJ verifies a hunting license with the Department of Fish and Wildlife when a buyer under 21 relies on it. If DOJ cannot confirm the license, it must tell the dealer to cancel the sale (Penal Code 28220(a)(2) and (g)(5)).

CalGunHub has a separate explainer on age limits.

California's roster law is written around the "unsafe handgun." It restricts manufacturing, importing for sale, and selling handguns that are not on the list (Penal Code 32000), and DOJ maintains "a roster listing all of the handguns" that have passed testing and may be sold (Penal Code 32015). Those sections do not create a roster for rifles or shotguns.

Long guns have their own limits, covered below.

The separate residency document is a handgun rule. "No handgun may be delivered" unless the buyer presents documentation of California residency, such as a recent utility bill, a residential lease, or a property deed (Penal Code 26845). That section does not mention long guns. The identification requirement still applies to long guns.

The certificate is the same card for both. The difference is one exemption: a person 18 or older with a valid, unexpired hunting license is exempt from the FSC requirement, "except as to handguns" (Penal Code 31700(c)).

Both kinds of firearm also require a safe handling demonstration at pickup. The long gun version is in Penal Code 26860, which exempts anyone who is exempt from the FSC.

Two sets of rules single them out.

Age. The hunting license and honorable discharge exceptions above do not cover semiautomatic centerfire rifles (Penal Code 27510(b)).

Assault weapon definitions. Penal Code 30515 defines an "assault weapon" to include a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that:

• does not have a fixed magazine and has any one of these: a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action, a thumbhole stock, a folding or telescoping stock, a grenade or flare launcher, a flash suppressor, or a forward pistol grip; or
• has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds; or
• has an overall length of less than 30 inches.

The same section covers some shotguns: a semiautomatic shotgun that has both a folding or telescoping stock and a pistol grip, thumbhole stock, or vertical handgrip; a semiautomatic shotgun that does not have a fixed magazine; and any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

Manufacturing, importing, keeping or offering for sale, giving, or lending an assault weapon is a felony, and possessing one is a crime, except as that chapter of the Penal Code provides (Penal Code 30600, 30605). See also CalGunHub's item rules page.

Two laws apply together.

Federal law generally bars a dealer from selling a firearm to a person who lives in a different state. It has an exception for a rifle or shotgun when the buyer meets the dealer in person and the sale fully complies with the legal conditions of sale in both states (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3)). There is no matching exception for handguns.

California law adds its own condition. A California resident may not bring into the state a firearm purchased or otherwise obtained outside the state unless it is first delivered to a California dealer, who delivers it under the normal California procedures (Penal Code 27585(a)). The section lists exceptions, including certain inheritances from immediate family.

CalGunHub's guide to buying a gun online covers out-of-state sellers and shipping to a California dealer.