Can I carry or use a firearm in national parks, national forests and BLM land in California?

Congress barred the Interior Department from enforcing any regulation that prohibits a person from possessing a firearm in a National Park System unit if two conditions are met: the person "is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm," and the possession "is in compliance with the law of the State in which the System unit is located" (54 U.S.C. 104906(b)). The park regulation repeats that rule (36 CFR 2.4(a)).

In practice, California law decides how a firearm may be possessed and carried in a national park in California. The DOJ states that carry licenses and permits issued in other states are not valid in California (DOJ FAQ).

Possession is not the same as use. The same regulation prohibits using a weapon in park areas. The exceptions cover designated times and places where taking wildlife or fish is authorized by law, target practice at facilities built and designated for it, and use within a residential dwelling (36 CFR 2.4(b)).

A separate federal statute covers buildings. It is a crime to knowingly possess a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a "Federal facility," defined as "a building or part thereof owned or leased by the Federal Government, where Federal employees are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties" (18 U.S.C. 930(a) and (g)). The penalty is a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.

The statute requires notice to be posted conspicuously at each public entrance, and it lists exceptions, including one for "the lawful carrying of firearms or other dangerous weapons in a Federal facility incident to hunting or other lawful purposes" (18 U.S.C. 930(d) and (h)).

The Forest Service says target shooting "is allowed on national forests or grasslands unless restricted," and tells visitors to check the local forest for restrictions, including fire season closures (U.S. Forest Service).

Federal regulations prohibit discharging a firearm (36 CFR 261.10(d)):

• In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site, or occupied area.
• Across or on a National Forest System road or an adjacent body of water.
• In any manner or place where a person or property is exposed to injury or damage.
• Into or within any cave.

Firing tracer bullets or incendiary ammunition is prohibited, and so is possessing or using an exploding target (36 CFR 261.5). A forest can also issue an order that prohibits discharging a firearm in a described area (36 CFR 261.58(m)).

BLM regulations say state and local laws apply on public lands, including laws on "use of firearms or other weapons" and on hunting (43 CFR 8365.1-7). On developed recreation sites and areas, no person may "discharge or use firearms" unless otherwise authorized (43 CFR 8365.2-5). BLM officers can also temporarily close or restrict areas by order (43 CFR 8364.1).

For California, the BLM says:

• Target shooting is generally allowed on BLM public lands if it is done safely and without damaging natural resources or improvements.
• There are no designated target shooting sites managed by the BLM in California. Shooting takes place on undeveloped lands.
• Shooting is "strictly prohibited in developed recreation sites and other areas where posted."
• Some areas may be closed to target shooting during fire season, and county rules add their own limits. The page gives examples for Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

California's loaded carry law applies in a public place in a "prohibited area" of unincorporated territory (Penal Code 25850), and a prohibited area is "any place where it is unlawful to discharge a weapon" (Penal Code 17030). Under those two definitions, whether it is lawful to discharge a weapon at a place bears on whether the loaded carry law applies there.

Other state rules to know:

• Campsites. The loaded carry law does not prevent a person from having a loaded weapon, "if it is otherwise lawful," at a temporary residence or campsite (Penal Code 26055). A concealed firearm exemption covers transport directly to and from a lawful campsite, and it does not override park and campground rules set by state or local agencies (Penal Code 25550).
• Carry license holders. A licensee may not carry in any place prohibited by federal law, in a park or athletic area open to the public, or on real property under the control of the Department of Parks and Recreation or Department of Fish and Wildlife, except designated hunting areas, public shooting grounds, and buildings where firearm possession is permitted by applicable law (Penal Code 26230(a)(12), (13), and (28)). The DOJ reported on March 27, 2025 that the park and state land provisions were enforceable (DOJ bulletin 2025-DLE-06).

State parks have their own rule. Under 14 CCR 4313, no person may "carry, possess or discharge" a firearm in any unit of the state park system, except in underwater parks or designated archery ranges where the department allows it. The regulation does not limit hunting in units or portions of units that are open to hunting. Firearms with no cartridge in any portion of the mechanism may be possessed within temporary lodging or a "mechanical mode of conveyance" when they are made temporarily inoperable or are "packed, cased, or stored in a manner that will prevent their ready use" (State Parks text of 14 CCR 4313).