QUICK TIPS FOR GUN OWNERS WITH
FIREARMS NOW CLASSIFIED AS
“ASSAULT WEAPONS”
OnJanuary1,2017,thedefinitionof an “assault weapon” (“AW”) underCalifornia law was changed to includefirearms which were required to beequippedwitha“bulletbutton”orsimilarmagazinelockingdevice.
This change does not affect ex-istingdefinitionsof other typesofAWs,including: make/model AWs; semiau-tomatic, centerfire rifles with an overalllength less than 30 inches; semiauto-matic, centerfire rifles with fixedmaga-zinescapableofacceptingmorethan10rounds;semiautomaticpistolswithfixedmagazines capable of accepting morethan10rounds;shotgunswithrevolvingcylinders; and semiautomatic shotgunswithbotha foldingor telescopingstockandapistolgripthatprotrudesconspicu-ouslybeneaththeactionoftheweapon,thumbholestock,orverticalhandgrip.
A complete list of firearms whichare prohibited by make/model can befound in the California Code of Regu-lationsor in the “AssaultWeapon Iden-tification Guide” on DOJ’s website at:https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/forms/awguide.pdf.
The following flowchart will helpgun owners who own firearms not al-readyregisteredasan“assaultweapon”todetermineifthefirearmisclassifiedassuch,eitherunderthenewlaworexist-inglaw.Severaldefinitionsarealsopro-videdforkeytermsusedintheflowchart,but some of these definitions are fromnowrejectedregulationsandaresubjecttochange.
Ifafterreviewingthisflowchartyoubelieveyouareinpossessionofanille-gal “assault weapon,” contact a skilledfirearmsattorneyimmediately.
“BULLET BUTTON” / “ASSAULT WEAPON” quick Reference Guide
KEY DEFINITIONS“FIXED MAGAZINE”-Anammunitionfeedingdevicecontainedin,orpermanentlyattachedto,afirearminsuchamannerthatthedevicecannotberemovedwithoutdisassemblyofthefirearmaction.“DISASSEMBLY OF THE FIREARM ACTION”-“Thefirecontrolassemblyisdetachedfromtheactioninsuchawaythattheactionhasbeeninterruptedandwillnotfunction.Forexample,disassemblingtheactiononatwo-partreceiver,likethatonanAR-15stylefirearm,wouldrequirethereartakedownpintoberemoved,theupperreceiverliftedupwardsandawayfromthelowerreceiverusingthefrontpivotpinasthefulcrum,beforethemagazinemayberemoved.”
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLEIF I OWN A NEWLY DEFINED “ASSAULT WEAPON”?
1. REGISTER:AfirearmthatwaslawfultoacquireandpossesslastyearbutnowisconsideredanAWcanberegisteredonorbeforeJuly1,2018.Once the registration system is active, you can register at: https://cfars.doj.ca.gov/login.do.NOTE: Any AW may be “jointly” registered with another family member over the age of 18 (including a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, orsibling) who resides with you. But they must separately complete the AW registration.2. MODIFICATION:YoucanmodifyyourfirearmsothatitisnolongeranAW.Thiscangenerallybeaccomplishedintwoways:A. “Featureless Build:”Ifarifle(whilestillsemiautomatic,centerfire,andnothavingafixedmagazine)doesnothaveanyofthefeatureslistedinA-Fabove;orifapistol,(whilestillsemiautomaticandlackingfixedmagazine),doesnothaveanyofthefeatureslistedinG-J,thenitisn’tanAWunderthe recent change toCalifornia law.Removing or changing all of thesefeaturesmaypreventthefirearmfrommeetingthedefinitionofanAW.Forexample,onemayreplacethepistolgripwithanaftermarketgriplikethe“MonstermanGrip;”pinorrivettheirtelescopingstockinplace;orremovethe“flashsuppressor”orreplaceitwithamuzzlebrake.B. “California Compliant Build:”Ifyouremoveoneofthethreeprereq-uisitefeaturesforthenew“assaultweapon”definition(i.e.,forrifles:semi-automatic,centerfire,ornothavingafixedmagazine)thefirearmcanthenstillhaveallofthefeatureslistedinA-F(withtheexceptionofthegrenadelauncher).Mostfirearmownerschoosetoinstallanaftermarketdeviceontheir rifle that causes the firearm tohavea “fixedmagazine.”Thepartsreplacethe“bulletbutton”magazinelock.Thedevicespreventthemaga-zine’sreleaseunless/untiltheupperreceiveispivotedupfromthelower
ortelescopingstock,(D)Agrenadelauncherorflare launcher, (E)Aflashsuppressor,or (F)Aforwardpistolgrip.PISTOLS:Asemiautomaticpistol that does not have a fixed magazine but has anyone of the following: (G)Athreadedbarrel,capableofac-cepting a flash suppressor, forward handgrip,orsilencer;(H)Asecondhandgrip;(I)Ashroudthatisattachedto,orpartiallyorcompletelyen-circles, thebarrel thatallows thebearer tofire
theweaponwithoutburning thebearer’shand,exceptaslidethatenclosesthebarrel;(J)Thecapacity to accept a detachable magazine atsomelocationoutsideofthepistolgrip.SHOTGUNS: While the change in the PenalCodeaffectscertainrifles and pistols,theDOJhastakenthepositionthatsemiautomaticshot-guns required to be equippedwith “bullet but-tons”arealsoaffected.
PREREQUISITE FEATURES OF AN ASSAULT WEAPON (AW)ThePenalCodenowclassifiesthefollowingasanAW:
RIFLES: A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that does not have a fixed magazine but has any one of the following:(A)Apistolgripthatpro-trudesconspicuouslybeneath theactionof theweapon, (B)A thumbhole stock, (C)A folding
receiverofthefirearm.Becauseremovalofthemagazinerequires“disas-semblingthefirearm’saction,”themagazineisconsidered“fixed.”
Someownersarechoosingtoaffixtheirmagazinetothefirearmbywelding or epoxying themagazine to the receiver and then loading thefirearmthroughthechamberbreech.Someareconvertingtheirriflesfromcenterfire to rimfire.While others are restricting their firearm’s ability tofunctionasasemiautomatic.3. DISASSEMBLY:AfirearmhastobeassembledandfunctioningtobeanAW.Consequently,disassemblingthefirearm,orremovingacrucialpartofthefirearm thatwillprevent it fromfunctioning,oreventakingtheupperreceiveroff fromthelowerreceiver,shouldtakethefirearmoutfromunderthe“AW” definition.Butoncedisassembled,thefirearmcanneverbereassembled inCaliforniaintoaconfigurationthatmeetsthedefinitionofan“AW,”and youshouldnevermanifesttheintenttoreassemblethefirearminan“AW” configuration inCalifornia(neverdiscussyourfirearmorhowitmightbe reassembledwithanyone). CAUTION: If a firearm is lacking a non-essential part, like a magazine, or a part not required for the firearm to function, or if the firearm is disabled by a gun lock but can otherwise still function properly, it is NOT a “disassembled” firearm. The firearm would still be considered an AW.4. SALE/SURRENDER:AWscanbesurrenderedtolawenforcement,orsoldtoproperlylicensed“assaultweapon”dealers,orsoldoutofstatetooutofstatedealers.5. REMOVAL FROM CALIFORNIA:SomefirearmownersaretakingtheirfirearmsoutofCalifornia.Firearmownerschoosing this routeshouldbemindfulofotherstate lawsand federal transfer requirements,particular-ly if the firearms are in a locationwhere othersmay access them.Andonce removed from the state, it cannot be brought back into the stateinanAWconfiguration.
Copyright © 2017 California Rifle & Pistol Association and National Rifle AssociationProduced as another member benefit by the CRPA and NRA. To join, donate, or volunteer, visit www.StandandFightCalifornia.org and www.cpra.org, or
email [email protected]. Permission to reprint is granted so long as this material is copied in its entirety. This is not legal advice. Consult with a qualified attorney to account for your individual circumstances.
Formoredetailedflowcharts&informativetools,visitcrpa.org/resources/quickreferenceguide
RIFLES Start Here:
Semiautomatic?
PISTOLS Start Here:
Semiautomatic?
SHOTGUNS Start Here:
Semiautomatic?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
YesYes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Not an “assault weapon.”
Illegal “assault weapon.”
Illegal “assault weapon.”
Illegal “assault weapon.”
Illegal “assault weapon.”
Not an “assault weapon.”
The firearm must be registered as an “assault weapon” no later than July 1, 2018. (Note: DOJ’s regulations require shotguns lacking
“fixed” magazines to be registered, but this position does not reflect current California law.)
Not an “assault weapon.”
Doesitusecenterfire
ammunition?
Istherifle’soveralllengthlessthan30
inches?
DoesithaveANYofthefollowing:1)Pistolgrip;2)Thumbholestock;3)
Foldingortelescopingstock;4)Grenadeorflarelauncher;5)Flashsuppressor;or
6)Forwardpistolgrip?
DoesithaveANYofthefollowing:1)Threadedbarrel;2)Secondhandgrip;3)Barrelshroud;or4)Thecapacitytoaccept
adetachablemagazineatalocationoutsideofthepistolgrip?
Doesitholdmorethan10rounds?
Doesitholdmorethan10rounds?
Doesithaveadetachablemagazine?
Doesithavea“fixed”magazine?
Doesithavea“bulletbutton?”
Doesithavea“fixed”magazine?
Doesithavearevolvingcylinder?
Doesithavea“fixed”magazine?
Doesithavea“bulletbutton?”
DoesithaveBOTH: 1)AFoldingortelescopingstock;and2)Apistolgrip,thumbholestock,orverticalhandgrip?
Copyright © 2017 California Rifle & Pistol Association and National Rifle AssociationProduced as another member benefit by the CRPA and NRA. To join, donate, or volunteer, visit www.StandandFightCalifornia.org and www.cpra.org, or email [email protected]. Permission to reprint is granted so long as this material is copied in its entirety. This is not legal advice. Consult with a qualified attorney to
account for your individual circumstances.
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