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educate me. Cali.

CbtEngr01CbtEngr01 Member Posts: 4,340
edited March 2013 in General Discussion
california. It was my understanding that in the 90s they made everyone register all their guns. Then banned alot of guns and some calibers. Since everything was registered- they knew who had what.
Anyone know more about this? Where am I wrong?

Comments

  • calrugerfancalrugerfan Member Posts: 18,209
    edited November -1
    I wasn't old enough to buy guns during that time but as far as I understand, they were banned for sale or transfer but if they were owned/registered before the cutoff, they could be kept.

    Mark Christian will be able to give more details.
  • mark christianmark christian Member Posts: 24,443 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Other than specific assault weapons (there are at least two lists) long guns are not registered in CA. Handguns purchased from dealers have been registered from decades but private hand gun sales were not subject to registration until 1990. There was no requirement to register existing handguns which were privately purchased prior to 1990. Tracer ammunition has been banned just about forever (due to the dangers of wildfires) as well as armor piercing handgun ammo (which is baned just about everywhere in the USA). The only banned caliber is .50 BMG.
  • Riomouse911Riomouse911 Member Posts: 3,492 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You're correct. As for the "Assault weapons", yes. They had to be registered if they were possessed before the cut-off date (9-1994 I believe), then you can keep them as grandfathered in. The DOJ has the list, and after the cut off date you can't get them anymore.

    The bans listed some guns by name (Uzi, AK-47, AR-15), and others by parts of the gun (a semi auto centerfire with; pistol grip, detachable mag, flash hider, etc..) If the gun had 2 or more of these things, it was illegal under the blanket term "assault weapon." Mini 14's, Mini-30's, Kel-Tec Su16? All 100% legal with 10 round mags. Semi-auto handguns with threaded barrels, detathchable magazines not in the grip (Tec-9 etc), along with SPAS-12 and Streetweeper shotguns? "Assault weapons, too."

    Dealers/manufacturers have found a way around the ban by installing a "bullet button" on an otherwise normal Ar-15/Ak-47/FAL etc before it's for sale. This is a modification where one needs a "tool" to remove the mag (so it's technically a "fixed mag" not a "detachable mag"). These may only use 10 round mags, if there are 11 or more in the mag it's a big no-no. I have 2 of these BB guns I bought just last year, and 2 pre-ban I've had for ages.

    Same for hi-caps; you can have them if you had them before the ban; you can't buy, manufacture, or import them now. (Some dudes are buying mags disassembled and saying they're "rebuild kits" and then assembling them. Personally, I don't have lots of extra cash for a defense attorney, so I'll let them take that risk to see whether it's legal or not.)

    .50 BMG caliber rifles were banned in the same way, because they're obvioulsy used daily by criminals on the streets. Registered and grandfathered in they're still around, otherwise new sales are banned. (This idocy has stopped zero crime, but why let the facts get in the way of a sound bite bill.)
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by CbtEngr01
    california. It was my understanding that in the 90s they made everyone register all their guns. Then banned alot of guns and some calibers. Since everything was registered- they knew who had what.
    Anyone know more about this? Where am I wrong?



    1. No, they did not make everyone register all their guns. As Mark mentioned, only handgun registration began in 1990.

    2. In Cal there is a form called a DROS "Dealers Record of Sale". These are filled out for all gun sales, but the long gun form has no information on the actual gun such as make, model, serial number, caliber, finish etc. The HANDGUN form does describe the gun.

    3. The only guns banned were "assault rifles" Riomouse covered it pretty well. The only gun banned by caliber is the .50 BMG, and if you already had one, they were grandfathered in. .50 caliber ammo is still legal to buy in Cal.

    So actually, NOT EVERYTHING IS REGISTERED, therefore they actually don't know who has what when it comes to long guns, and handguns purchased prior to 1990 fall into that category.
  • dfletcherdfletcher Member Posts: 8,178 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by CbtEngr01
    california. It was my understanding that in the 90s they made everyone register all their guns. Then banned alot of guns and some calibers. Since everything was registered- they knew who had what.
    Anyone know more about this? Where am I wrong?


    You're sort of wrong, but there's a germ of truth as to how a person can reach such conclusions.

    With relatively few exceptions all gun sales in CA must go through an FFL. We have something called a "Private Party Transfer" but it's not private as most would think of it - it's not "I sell you my gun, you hand me $$$" when we're at the range. In CA we must do the PPT through a FFL. This doesn't mean all guns are registered, although it's easy to see how the assumption is made.

    Certain "Assault Weapons" (nothing more than plain old semi-auto rifles in any other state) were required to be registered. In some instances, confusion as to whether a gun had to be registered led CA AG "Gun Ban Dan" Lundgren to conclude some had to be turned in or sold out of state.

    The 50 BMG cartridge, when used in a rifle, is banned in CA. Some folks interpret this to mean "50 cals are banned" but that's not true. Unless grandfathered & registered, a 50 BMG rifle is banned. Note the Browning M2 is not a 50 BMG rifle because CA defines a rifle as being fired from the shoulder - so in CA you may buy a Browning M2 (semi) in 50 BMG, but not a Barrett. Makes sense, right?

    Handguns are presently registered to the owner. Starting in 2014 long guns will be too.

    Two things about CA gun laws are pretty simple - they were passed by a Democratic control legislature and ..... they suck.
  • Waco WaltzWaco Waltz Member Posts: 10,836 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Correct, I was there at the time. There was mass non compliance however with the registration requirement.
  • ruger41ruger41 Member Posts: 14,665 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ahhh California..where in order to buy a handgun you get to:
    Pay for handgun..assuming is is CA compliant.
    Fill out 4473.
    Show proof you took the Basic Handgun Safety Test and passed it.
    Either buy a CA approved gun lock since the same darn ones that come with many handguns aren't good enough..or sign an affidavit that you own a CA compliant safe.
    Pay a fee to the FFL in addition to the gun & taxes..Dealer Record of Sale
    Show a current utility bill with your name & address.
    Wait 10 days to take the gun home.

    I surely miss buying guns in California..NOT!!
  • Riomouse911Riomouse911 Member Posts: 3,492 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ya, I did a PPT on a S&W 49 that the owner bought in georgia many years ago. It took us 90 minutes to do all the paperwork, and cost me $$ for the transfer fees, plus a return trip for me to pick it up after 10 days. The previous owner just laughed, as his purchase took about 10 minutes, tops.

    And many Ca cities still have some of the worst crime and murder rates in the Country. Makes perfect sense!
  • m88.358winm88.358win Member Posts: 7,269 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My local gun shop here in CA just got a .50 BMG upper in his shop, he posted a picture of it on face book. Is this legal? Would the lower be legal?

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=474607149240460&set=a.410808148953694.102886.410799952287847&type=1
  • RON53RON53 Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    What I love the most is the 10 day cooling off period. I have many guns already but I still have to wait 10 days if I want to add another one to my collection. Simply brilliant thinking!
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