ARTICLE 5. Registration of Assault Weapons and .50 BMG Rifles and Related Rules [30900. - 30965.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 5.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30900. Section 30900.

(a) (1) Any person who, prior to June 1, 1989, lawfully possessed an assault weapon, as defined in former Section 12276, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989, shall register the firearm by January 1, 1991, and any person who lawfully possessed an assault weapon prior to the date it was specified as an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.5, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989 or as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 874 of the Statutes of 1990 or Section 3 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991, shall register the firearm within 90 days with the Department of Justice pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish. (2) Except as provided in Section 30600, any person who lawfully possessed an assault weapon prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.1, as it read in Section 7 of Chapter 129 of the Statutes of 1999, and which was not specified as an assault weapon under former Section 12276, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989 or as amended at any time before January 1, 2001, or former Section 12276.5, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989 or as amended at any time before January 1, 2001, shall register the firearm by January 1, 2001, with the department pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish. (3) The registration shall contain a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely, including all identification marks, the full name, address, date of birth, and thumbprint of the owner, and any other information that the department may deem appropriate. (4) The department may charge a fee for registration of up to twenty dollars ($20) per person but not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. After the department establishes fees sufficient to reimburse the department for processing costs, fees charged shall increase at a rate not to exceed the legislatively approved annual cost-of-living adjustment for the department’s budget or as otherwise increased through the Budget Act but not to exceed the reasonable costs of the department. The fees shall be deposited into the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account. (b) (1) Any person who, from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2016, inclusive, lawfully possessed an assault weapon that does not have a fixed magazine, as defined in Section 30515, including those weapons with an ammunition feeding device that can be readily removed from the firearm with the use of a tool, shall register the firearm before July 1, 2018, but not before the effective date of the regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (5), with the department pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish by regulation pursuant to paragraph (5). (2) Registrations shall be submitted electronically via the Internet utilizing a public-facing application made available by the department. (3) The registration shall contain a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely, including all identification marks, the date the firearm was acquired, the name and address of the individual from whom, or business from which, the firearm was acquired, as well as the registrant’s full name, address, telephone number, date of birth, sex, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and California driver’s license number or California identification card number. (4) The department may charge a fee in an amount of up to fifteen dollars ($15) per person but not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. The fee shall be paid by debit or credit card at the time that the electronic registration is submitted to the department. The fee shall be deposited in the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account to be used for purposes of this section. (5) The department shall adopt regulations for the purpose of implementing this subdivision. These regulations are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (c) (1) Any person who, prior to September 1, 2020, lawfully possessed an assault weapon as defined by paragraph (9), (10), or (11) of subdivision (a) of Section 30515, and is eligible to register an assault weapon as set forth in Section 30950, shall submit an application to register the firearm before January 1, 2022, but not before the effective date of the regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (5), with the department pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish by regulation pursuant to paragraph (5). (2) Registration applications shall be submitted in a manner and format to be specified by the department in regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (5). (3) The registration application shall contain a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely, including all identification marks, the date the firearm was acquired, the name and address of the individual from whom, or business from which, the firearm was acquired, as well as the registrant’s full name, address, telephone number, date of birth, sex, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and California driver’s license number or California identification card number, and any other information that the department may deem appropriate. The registration application shall also contain photographs of the firearm, as specified by the department in regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (5). (4) For each registration application, the department may charge a fee that consists of the amount the department is authorized to require a dealer to charge each firearm purchaser under subdivision (a) of Section 28233, not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. For registration applications seeking to register multiple firearms, the fee shall increase by up to five dollars ($5) for each additional firearm after the first, not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. The fee shall be paid in a manner specified by the department in regulations adopted pursuant to paragraph (5) at the time the registration application is submitted to the department. The fee shall be deposited in the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account to be used for purposes of this section. (5) The department shall adopt regulations for the purpose of implementing this subdivision and paragraphs (9), (10), and (11) of subdivision (a) of Section 30515. These regulations are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30905. Section 30905.

(a) Except as provided in Section 30600, any person who lawfully possesses any .50 BMG rifle prior to January 1, 2005, that is not specified as an assault weapon under former Section 12276, as it reads in Section 19 of Chapter 606 of the Statutes of 1993, or former Section 12276.5, as it reads in Section 3 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991, or defined as an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.1, as it reads in Section 3 of Chapter 911 of the Statutes of 2002, shall register the .50 BMG rifle with the department no later than April 30, 2006, pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish. (b) The registration shall contain a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely, including all identification marks, the full name, address, date of birth, and thumbprint of the owner, and any other information that the department may deem appropriate. (c) The department may charge a fee for registration of twenty-five dollars ($25) per person to cover the actual processing and public education campaign costs of the department. The fees shall be deposited into the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account. Data-processing costs associated with modifying the department’s data system to accommodate .50 caliber BMG rifles shall not be paid from the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30910. Section 30910.

Except as provided in Section 30925, no assault weapon possessed pursuant to this article may be sold or transferred on or after January 1, 1990, to anyone within this state other than to a licensed gun dealer or as provided in Section 31100.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30915. Section 30915.

Any person who obtains title to an assault weapon registered under this article or that was possessed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 30630 by bequest or intestate succession shall, within 90 days, do one or more of the following: (a) Render the weapon permanently inoperable. (b) Sell the weapon to a licensed gun dealer. (c) Obtain a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6. (d) Remove the weapon from this state.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30920. Section 30920.

(a) Any person who lawfully possessed a firearm subsequently declared to be an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.5, as it reads in Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989, Section 1 of Chapter 874 of the Statutes of 1990, or Section 3 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991, or subsequently defined as an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.1, as that section read at any time from when it was enacted by Section 7 of Chapter 129 of the Statutes of 1999 to when it was repealed by the Deadly Weapons Recodification Act of 2010, shall, within 90 days, do one or more of the following: (1) Render the weapon permanently inoperable. (2) Sell the weapon to a licensed gun dealer. (3) Obtain a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6. (4) Remove the weapon from this state. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person who lawfully possessed a firearm that was subsequently declared to be an assault weapon pursuant to former Section 12276.5 may alternatively register the firearm within 90 days of the declaration issued pursuant to subdivision (f) of former Section 12276.5, as it reads in Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989, Section 1 of Chapter 874 of the Statutes of 1990, or Section 3 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30925. Section 30925.

A person moving into this state, otherwise in lawful possession of an assault weapon, shall do one of the following: (a) Prior to bringing the assault weapon into this state, that person shall first obtain a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6. (b) The person shall cause the assault weapon to be delivered to a licensed gun dealer in this state in accordance with Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code and the regulations issued pursuant thereto. If the person obtains a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6, the dealer shall redeliver that assault weapon to the person. If the licensed gun dealer is prohibited from delivering the assault weapon to a person pursuant to this section, the dealer shall possess or dispose of the assault weapon as allowed by this chapter.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30930. Section 30930.

Except as provided in Section 30940, no .50 BMG rifle possessed pursuant to this article may be sold or transferred on or after January 1, 2005, to anyone within this state other than to a licensed gun dealer or as provided in Section 31100.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30935. Section 30935.

Any person who obtains title to a .50 BMG rifle registered under this article or that was possessed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 30630 by bequest or intestate succession shall, within 180 days of receipt, do one or more of the following: (a) Render the weapon permanently inoperable. (b) Sell the weapon to a licensed gun dealer. (c) Obtain a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6. (d) Remove the weapon from this state.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30940. Section 30940.

A person moving into this state, otherwise in lawful possession of a .50 BMG rifle, shall do one of the following: (a) Prior to bringing the .50 BMG rifle into this state, that person shall first obtain a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6. (b) The person shall cause the .50 BMG rifle to be delivered to a licensed gun dealer in this state in accordance with Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code and the regulations issued pursuant thereto. If the person obtains a permit from the Department of Justice in the same manner as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 32650) of Chapter 6, the dealer shall redeliver that .50 BMG rifle to the person. If the licensed gun dealer is prohibited from delivering the .50 caliber BMG rifle to a person pursuant to this section, the dealer shall dispose of the .50 BMG rifle as allowed by this chapter.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30945. Section 30945.

Unless a permit allowing additional uses is first obtained under Section 31000, a person who has registered an assault weapon or registered a .50 BMG rifle under this article may possess it only under any of the following conditions: (a) At that person’s residence, place of business, or other property owned by that person, or on property owned by another with the owner’s express permission. (b) While on the premises of a target range of a public or private club or organization organized for the purpose of practicing shooting at targets. (c) While on a target range that holds a regulatory or business license for the purpose of practicing shooting at that target range. (d) While on the premises of a shooting club that is licensed pursuant to the Fish and Game Code. (e) While attending any exhibition, display, or educational project that is about firearms and that is sponsored by, conducted under the auspices of, or approved by a law enforcement agency or a nationally or state recognized entity that fosters proficiency in, or promotes education about, firearms. (f) While on publicly owned land, if the possession and use of a firearm described in Section 30510, 30515, 30520, or 30530, is specifically permitted by the managing agency of the land. (g) While transporting the assault weapon or .50 BMG rifle between any of the places mentioned in this section, or to any licensed gun dealer, for servicing or repair pursuant to Section 31050, if the assault weapon is transported as required by Sections 16850 and 25610.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30950. Section 30950.

No person who is under the age of 18 years, and no person who is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm, may register or possess an assault weapon or .50 BMG rifle.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30955. Section 30955.

(a) The department’s registration procedures shall provide the option of joint registration for any assault weapon or .50 BMG rifle owned by family members residing in the same household. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), for registration of assault weapons in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 30900, joint registration is not permitted.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30960. Section 30960.

(a) For 90 days following January 1, 1992, a forgiveness period shall exist to allow any person specified in subdivision (b) of former Section 12280, as it reads in Section 4.5 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991, to register with the Department of Justice any assault weapon that the person lawfully possessed prior to June 1, 1989. (b) (1) Any person who registers an assault weapon during the 90-day forgiveness period described in subdivision (a), and any person whose registration form was received by the Department of Justice after January 1, 1991, and who was issued a temporary registration prior to the end of the forgiveness period, shall not be charged with a violation of subdivision (b) of former Section 12280, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989 or as subsequently amended, if law enforcement becomes aware of that violation only as a result of the registration of the assault weapon. (2) This section shall have no effect upon any person charged prior to January 1, 1992, with a violation of subdivision (b) of former Section 12280 as added by Section 3 of Chapter 19 of the Statutes of 1989 or as subsequently amended, provided that law enforcement was aware of the violation before the weapon was registered.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 30965. Section 30965.

(a) Any person who registered a firearm as an assault weapon pursuant to the provisions of law in effect prior to January 1, 2000, where the assault weapon is thereafter defined as an assault weapon pursuant to Section 30515 or former Section 12276.1, as that section read at any time from when it was enacted by Section 7 of Chapter 129 of the Statutes of 1999 to when it was repealed by the Deadly Weapons Recodification Act of 2010, shall be deemed to have registered the weapon for purposes of this chapter and shall not be required to reregister the weapon pursuant to this article. (b) Any person who legally registered a firearm as an assault weapon pursuant to the provisions of law in effect prior to January 1, 2005, where the assault weapon is thereafter defined as a .50 caliber BMG rifle pursuant to Section 30530 or former Section 12278, shall be deemed to have registered the weapon for purposes of this chapter and shall not be required to reregister the weapon pursuant to this article.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026