I am leaving California: what should I know about my firearms?

The statute uses "may," not "shall": a person who moves out of the state with a firearm and is no longer a resident "may report their move to the department" (Penal Code 28000(f)(2)).

The form is BOF 4546, Notice of No Longer in Possession. Per the form:

• The "No longer resident of California" box asks for the new state or country and the date residency was established there.
• A legible copy of government-issued identification from the new state or country must be attached.

DOJ may reject a report when the documentation is insufficient to prove removal from the state (Penal Code 28000(h)).

18 U.S.C. 926A says a person who is not federally prohibited may transport a firearm for any lawful purpose "from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm," despite state or local law along the way, if during the trip:

• the firearm is unloaded, and
• neither the firearm nor any ammunition is readily accessible or directly accessible from the passenger compartment.

In a vehicle with no compartment separate from the driver's compartment, the firearm or ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

The protection depends on lawful possession at both ends of the trip, and each state has its own laws on firearms, magazines, and carry.

While you are still inside California, state transport rules apply. For a handgun, that means unloaded and locked in the vehicle's trunk or in a locked container (Penal Code 25610). See storage and transport. If you are flying, see flying with a firearm from California.

While you are in California, DOJ says a sale to another private person must go through a licensed California dealer, with both parties present (DOJ FAQ). See selling a firearm.

After you become a resident of another state, federal law generally makes it unlawful for an unlicensed person to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe lives in a different state, with exceptions for bequests and for temporary loans or rentals for lawful sporting purposes (18 U.S.C. 922(a)(5)).

Penal Code 26210 sets these rules:

• The licensee must notify the licensing authority in writing within 10 days of any change in place of residence.
• If the licensee's place of residence was the basis for issuing the license, the license expires 90 days after the licensee moves from the county of issuance.

For other states, see CCW for nonresidents and reciprocity.

Inside California, a registered assault weapon may be possessed only in the places listed in Penal Code 30945.

Three sources bear on a later return:

• BOF 4546 has a separate section for a registered assault weapon or .50 BMG rifle, and the form states that completing it "will result in the cancellation of the registration" (BOF 4546).
• Importing an assault weapon into California is a felony "except as provided by this chapter" (Penal Code 30600).
• The new-resident reporting path excludes assault weapons and .50 BMG rifles (Penal Code 17000(a)(11), (14)).

The new-resident report applies to a "personal firearm importer." The definition covers a person who acquired the firearm outside California and had not previously reported ownership of it to DOJ while a resident (Penal Code 17000(a)). Today, the importer has 60 days after bringing a firearm in to report it to DOJ or transfer it through one of the listed channels (Penal Code 27560). SB 948 changes that period to 180 days starting January 1, 2027 (SB 948).

For a firearm already on record, the rule that sends a resident's out-of-state acquisitions through a California dealer has an exception for a person listed in DOJ's registry as the owner of that firearm (Penal Code 27585(b)(14)).

See moving to California. DOJ tells incoming residents they may not bring in assault weapons or "ammunition feeding devices with a capacity greater than ten rounds" (DOJ FAQ).