How do I fly with a firearm out of or into California?

TSA and 49 CFR 1540.111(c) set the same core steps:

1. Unload it. TSA treats a firearm as loaded if a live round, or any component of one, is in the chamber, cylinder, or an inserted magazine.
2. Lock it in a hard-sided container. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed.
3. Declare it. Tell the airline at the ticket counter each time you check the firearm.
4. Keep the key or combination. Only the passenger should hold it. TSA may ask for it if the case has to be opened.

Firearms, firearm parts (magazines, bolts, firing pins) and ammunition are all prohibited in carry-on bags.

TSA says small arms ammunition must be in a box "specifically designed to carry ammunition," made of fiber, wood, plastic or metal, and declared to the airline. Magazines and clips, loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or placed inside a hard-sided case with an unloaded firearm.

They can. TSA tells travelers to check with their airline about firearm limits, fees and ammunition quantity limits.

• Handguns. California generally bars carrying a concealed handgun in a vehicle or on your person without a license (PC 25400). The transport exception covers a handgun that is unloaded and either locked in the vehicle's trunk or in a locked container in the vehicle, or carried directly to or from the vehicle inside a locked container, when it is transported for a purpose listed in Penal Code 25510 to 25595 (PC 25610). It covers a U.S. citizen over 18 who lives in or is temporarily in California and is not prohibited from having firearms.
• Locked container. It must be fully enclosed and locked by a padlock, key lock, combination lock or similar device. A glove compartment or utility compartment does not count (PC 16850).
• Rifles and shotguns. DOJ says they are not generally required to be in a locked container, but they must be unloaded during transport (DOJ).
• Loaded carry. Carrying a loaded firearm on your person or in a vehicle in public places covered by PC 25850 is a separate crime.
• Inside the terminal. It is unlawful to knowingly possess a firearm in an airport building or parking area, but that rule does not apply to an unloaded firearm transported in the hard-sided, locked container the federal rule requires, as long as the person stays out of the sterile (post-screening) area (PC 171.5(b), (e)).

18 U.S.C. 926A entitles a person who is not federally prohibited to transport a firearm for a lawful purpose from a place where they may lawfully possess and carry it to another place where they may lawfully possess and carry it. The limits are in the text:

• The firearm must be unloaded.
• Neither the firearm nor ammunition may be readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle with no separate compartment, they must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
• Possession must be lawful at both the starting point and the destination.

The statute is written around a "transporting vehicle," and it protects travel only between places where possession is lawful.

• Magazines over 10 rounds. A large-capacity magazine is a feeding device that accepts more than 10 rounds, with listed exceptions such as .22 caliber tube magazines (PC 16740). Importing one into the state is punishable under PC 32310(a).
• Assault weapons. Importing a firearm that California defines as an assault weapon is a felony under PC 30600, unless an exception in that chapter applies.

Two more rules apply to California residents flying home:

• A firearm bought or otherwise obtained outside California must first be delivered to a California dealer, with listed exceptions (PC 27585).
• Ammunition obtained outside California must first be delivered to a licensed ammunition vendor, with listed exceptions (PC 30314).

No. DOJ states that carry licenses or permits issued in other states are not valid in California (DOJ FAQ). Since January 1, 2026, a non-resident can apply for a California license instead (PC 26150(b)).