How do I lawfully get this?
Two questions about the item, never about you. You’ll get the routes California actually allows, what each costs, and the guide that walks it through.
What this page covers
Pick a handgun, a rifle or shotgun, a frame or receiver, or ammunition, then say where it is coming from. The page shows the routes California allows for that item. It never asks about you and does not decide whether any person may buy anything. The main paths:
- From a California dealer. A dealer generally may only sell a new handgun that is on the state's roster of certified handguns, so check the model in the roster. The dealer runs the DROS, and the 10-day wait applies unless an exemption does.
- From another Californian. A private party transfer: you and the seller both go to a licensed dealer, who processes the transfer. The in-person PPT fee is capped by law at $10 per firearm. How a PPT works.
- Glock-pattern pistols. Penal Code § 27595 restricts dealer sales of Glock-pattern pistols, with listed exceptions. Private party transfers are one of them. What AB 1127 covers.
- From out of state. It cannot come to you directly: the out-of-state seller ships to a California dealer, who receives it and runs the transfer as if it were their own sale.
New to all of this? The new California gun owner guide walks the whole first-purchase path in order: FSC, roster, dealer, DROS, pickup, storage.