OT: California gun laws

Stan in Oly, WA

Well-known Member
I'm thinking about vacationing in California next year, probably renting a house somewhere for an extended stay. I know that California has very strict gun laws, especially concerning handguns. The laws concerning handguns are easy to find, as are the laws concerning the transportation of firearms in general. What I haven't been able to find is the law concerning possession of a long gun by a non-resident. Specifically, in a house I'm renting, could I legally defend myself, my family, and my friends, with a shotgun? If nobody knows the actual law about this, could someone point me in the right direction to get the information I need?

Thanks.
 
You might want to try to contact the California Department of Justice , Office of the Attorney General, Bureau of Firearms. They should give you information on California gun laws.
 
Assuming the firearm in question doesn't fall under CA's definition of "assault weapon", there should be no issue with bring your long guns into the state.

Note that California has a much broader definition of assault weapon than did the now-expired federal AWB.
CA Assault Weapons Ban
 
I just went to California this summer and the motel I stayed at half the people there were carrying long guns. Come to find out they were having a shooting match near by. You are allowed to keep any legal gun in your room and defend yourself if necessary. The only difference in other states is if you go outside the room like taking the gun to your car it has to be in a locked case.
 
Just goes to show the differences you get on information on the internet. The site I went to this summer just said gun, they didn't specify the type. Still I think being a tourist I would go overboard and have the locked case.
 
I always call the State Police or the Highway Patrol of any state I travel too or through because transporting is where the problems usually arise. Went to California a few years ago and called the CHP ahead of time, they told me that shotguns had to be unloaded, stored in a locked space away from the ammunition, such as car trunk or truck toolbox and that I must be able to prove legal ownership under federal and California law. The officer flat out told me not to bring a firearm bought at a gun show or flea market to California because there would not be a paper trail traceable back to me and that if I were caught with such a firearm I would be prosecuted with a felony. The officer also told me that it was up to the motel management where I stayed at if a firearm was allowed in the rooms.
 
If you really want to press your luck, put a gun or just some ammunition in your vehicle and drive across the border into Mexico. That will keep you busy for years trying to get out of one of their prisons.
 
if i was a tourist i just would n't go to california, it's to much like mexico with their repressive laws.
but nobody here is gonna convince you. you'll find out for yourself have a good trip.
 
That's my plan. I wouldn't be caught dead in California or New York - because that's probably what would happen.
 
I created a scary scenario for myself this week. On Wednesday Iam journeying to a gun club in rural south jersey to shoot my recently purchased Ruger Mini14 223. My friend suggested that besides loading the gun into the back of the car and my ammo in the front, that I lock the ammo box. My car has a hatch in the rear and no trunk.
 
The problem is that anyone who sees a person with a gun/gun case is going to call law enforcement and report "A person with a gun". You may be legal, but you are going to spend a lot of time defending yourself to local law enforcement at each stop.

I travelled the U.S. and Canada for years and never needed a gun. If I was in a neighborhood that didn't look good, I made sure that I was in the motel room before dark and stayed there until early morning.

Did you ever watch the morning news and count how many people were killed, robbed, ran over, etc. during the night? Exposing yourself during the "dangerous hours" puts you at greater risk.
 
> I just wouldn't go to Califorinia.

Ruling out traveling to California (or any other state) because you don't understand its gun laws is about as silly as saying you'll never go to Georgia because you watched "Deliverance".
 
(quoted from post at 08:38:19 11/14/16) The problem is that anyone who sees a person with a gun/gun case is going to call law enforcement and report "A person with a gun". You may be legal, but you are going to spend a lot of time defending yourself to local law enforcement at each stop.

I travelled the U.S. and Canada for years and never needed a gun. If I was in a neighborhood that didn't look good, I made sure that I was in the motel room before dark and stayed there until early morning.

Did you ever watch the morning news and count how many people were killed, robbed, ran over, etc. during the night? Exposing yourself during the "dangerous hours" puts you at greater risk.

And behaving badly also greatly increases your risk. If you go out looking for hookers or drugs, you are playing with some screwed up people. I worked in some pretty rough neighborhoods for many years. I never had any problems, neither did the my coworkers. One guy got mugged, but he was in a alley with a prostitute. And she kicked his azz! :)
 
Yes, but ruling out California or any other state because you don't agree with those laws, or because missing slight details in those laws instantly turns you into a felon, is perfectly acceptable.

Of course I've never really felt the need to guard my hotel door with a shotgun when I'm traveling. The worst place I stayed in, I felt safe BECAUSE of the good 'ol boys hootin' it up in the hallway. Figured ain't nobody messin' with that bunch of drunks.
 
Spook, I agree!

I read somewhere that if a person has a felony conviction on their record, the odds of that person being murdered increased dramatically!

This has some interesting stats, check out the "tables" on the right.
Crime Stats
 
> You mean people watched Deliverance and still went to Georgia? I bet Ned Beatty didn't.

Well, he did have to bring his donut pillow.
 
Just pack a can of starting fluid and a Bic lighter. Legal in all 50 states and Canada. Might get questioned about the starting fluid in Hawaii though... ;)
 
Leave the shotgun at home and bring a semi auto pistol; lots easier to conceal and carry. And still get the job done.
 
You are correct in the ammo and gun separate. The gun must be unloaded and in a "locked" case. Even if you wrap it in an old towel and use a couple of ZIP ties you will be legal. Crazy law but fact. I used to shoot High Power all over jersey and several other states. Drive over to PA and visit a couple of Arms, "GUN" shows and you will see a whole new and wonderful world! "How much ammo ya want fella? A Hand truck load? No Problem!" Think I will go over and shoot a couple of rounds of trap tonight at the club. Cellibrate how the election came out.
 
You need to understand the old ignorance of the law deal. Usually if you hear horror stories, toooo many times there is some fact behind it. California , the left commie coast. I want to move to Pennsiltucky if I can. Biggest problem is when the people who live there have their heads screwed on straight and all is happy. Then the nuts with money from out of town move in and the whole place goes to heck!
 
I'm with you on not going to California. But then, I have told more than one that the only way they will get me into Mpls is in an ambulance. Don't need California or Mpls, Mn or a lot of other places.
 
[Ruling out traveling to California (or any other state) because you don't understand its gun laws is about as silly as saying you'll never go to Georgia because you watched "Deliverance".

Has nothing to do with Understanding their gun laws. I don't feel compelled to carry a gun every where I go, I am not afraid of Califrornia. It just aint worth the hassle of dealing with all the people. Billings is bad enough the few times a year I go there and Minneapolis about once a year caps it off.
 
WELL, like dis'......

Check with a 3A's "tour book".

The gun laws here in PA vary with "counties". Therefore, a lotta people coming in to the State of PA are carying concealed weapons, as legal in Florida. Once here, those persons are illegal if caught with a conceiled weapon because they do not have a PA permit. However if the weapon is exposed on your belt, there is no problem. NO permit required.

Years ago, I was residing in the State of Delaware, where MARSHALL LAW was declared during the late 60's. The law came door to door collecting any type of gun, even muzzel loaders.

The ideal thing is to stop in at the DELAWARE line and check-in if carrying any type of gun, even going duck hunting for the week-end, and ask the law officers if it is ok to proceed without registering the firearm with the STATE.

SO, good luck with your shotgun. I recommend to leave it at home unless you take the above precautions.

HTH

John,PA
 
I would go to the state and cities websites and download a copy of the instructions for their conceal and carry classes. It should have good examples of what is allowed for personal defense and if your state's permit will allow you to carry a concealed weapon there too. Some states allow the use of deadly force to protect personal property, many states only allow it when there is an immediate threat of personal harm. I'd leave the shotgun and the pistol at home. Use common sense to avoid obviously dangerous areas.

To be realistic, unless you already have an on-going fight with someone you know down there, you are far more likely to have a break-in during daylight hours while you are out and have your cash and gun stolen, than to have a night time intruder break in intent on harming you or your family. The distinctive "ting" of an aluminum little league baseball bat will still send most petty thieves running out the door without the problems of firing a gun at someone. Yeah, I know John Wayne and Clint Eastwood never swung an aluminum bat, but real life isn't like the movies.
 

In the late 1960s Los Angles had riots(may have been later too.) Business were looted and burned. Korean shop owners guarded their property with shotguns. They weren't robbed. Don't know how that would work out today.

KEH
 
As bad as NY is, it's better than California. However non-residents have no legal way to have a handgun in NY. I believe there is some way to legally transport a handgun through NY if you are going to a competition somewhere on the other side of the state, but DO NOT take my word for it. NY may be slightly better than Ca, but it's a near thing and NY still sucks. NJ is ten times worse, by the way. Avoid NJ like the plague if you have a firearm of any flavor in the vehicle.
 
I didn't regret going to California. I just wish I didn't stop so many places going there and back. The main part of the trip was Yosemite National Park and it was such a drive getting into the park with the twisting mountain roads I only got to spend about an hour at the falls.
 
> California , the left commie coast. I want to move to Pennsiltucky if I can.

I think if you check, you'll find there are more gun owners in CA than in PA. And about 98 percent of California is more rural and less populous than any part of Pennsylvania. I'm not going to scratch off an entire state as interesting as CA simply because I don't like or understand their gun laws. Either I'll do my research or I'll leave my guns at home. I know not to take guns into Canada, which I enter fairly frequently. Ditto with just about every other foreign country. Same thing with DC or NYC, you take your guns there at your own risk. It's not that big of a deal.
 
I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to provide some of the information I was searching for on this matter. I did contact the California Department of Justice yesterday, and they got back to me later the same day. It appears that I could take a shotgun into California with no additional restrictions beyond the common sense measures I would take anyway. A regular pump shotgun without any of the features that would make it cross the line into being an "assault weapon"---detachable magazine, fixed magazine with a capacity greater than ten rounds, bayonet lug, pistol grip, etc. poses no problem. The person at the DOJ made a couple of practical suggestions which I appreciated: make sure the owner of any house I would rent would not object to me having a firearm in his or her house; contact the law enforcement office or agency having jurisdiction in the area, and make sure they don't have a hostile attitude about the situation. Maybe I'll decide to just take a baseball bat. I hope I can find one with a bayonet lug.

Stan
 
> The amount of penetration depends on bullet weight, bullet construction, and velocity with velocity being most important.

Yes, the real Liberace died of AIDS, which we now know is almost always the product of a too-wholesome lifestyle.
 
> ot as immoral as Mike Douglas in "Liberace" What a piece of filth.

Yes, the real Liberace died of AIDS, which we now know is almost always the product of a too-wholesome lifestyle.
 
(quoted from post at 08:55:36 11/14/16) If you really want to press your luck, put a gun or just some ammunition in your vehicle and drive across the border into Mexico. That will keep you busy for years trying to get out of one of their prisons.

Did not seem to bother a certain president from shipping firearms to Mexico as an aid package.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top