HELP - legal for son giving ar to father?

A

alesix

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my son wants to give me a complete cali legal lower ar 15 for my birthday. i am not sure if in california i can take it or if i have to register it first with ffl. can anyone familiar with california gun laws advise me.
 
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Normally, private party transfers of modern guns have to go through an FFL in CA. Just to put it into perspective a private party transfer is $35.

However, there is an exemption for interfamily transfers if both are CA residents:

Can I give a firearm to my adult child? Can he/she give it back to me later?

Yes, as long as the adult child receiving the firearm is not in a prohibited category PDF logo [PDF 10 kb / 1 pg] and the firearm is a legal firearm to possess, the transfer of a firearm between a parent and child or a grandparent and grandchild is exempt from the dealer transfer requirement. However, if the firearm is a handgun, you must submit a Report of Operation of Law or Intra-Familial Handgun Transaction PDF logo [PDF 481 kb / 2 pg] and $19 fee to the DOJ within 30 days. Assault weapons may not be transferred in this fashion. See Penal Code section 12285, subdivision (b).

(PC section 12078(c))
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http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs.php#20

I would advise making SURE that the lower is not considered an AW or a handgun.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, I am especially not your lawyer, take all legal advice on the internet with a grain of salt, including mine. Contact the ATF / your state DOJ directly and get their advice in writing. Then follow it.

http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/contact.php
 
And the OP doesn't say if both he and his son are residents of the same State. If not, under federal law the transfer will have to go through an FFL. Federal law makes no exception for intrafamilial transfers.
 
He is talking about a long gun, not a pistol. whole different ball game...Other than a possible California mag capacity problem this should not be any different than any other long gun.

What is "An Assault Weapon" in California legal terms? Does this particular AR fit that discription? To me an AR is not an "Assault weapon", but then California may think so.

AR does not stand for Assault Rifle...it originally stood for ArmaLite Rifle, and became the designation of a particular style of semiautomatic receiver.

Just because it is an AR does not automatically make it an Asssult weapon, if it did, you would find manufacturers changing the name designation of their rifles
 
California law is fairly complex regarding certain semi-automatic rifles. Some are heavily regulated, and some are prohibited. The OP and his son do indeed need to be cautious.
 
hermannr, it's not a totally different ball game for out of state, although it is slightly different.

IIRC, for interstate long gun transfer, an FFL is still required, but the FFL can be in either the originating or receiving state.

For a handgun, the FFL must be in the receiving state, although an FFL can also be used (in addition to, not instead of the receiving state FFL) in the originating state.
 
MLeake said:
...IIRC, for interstate long gun transfer, an FFL is still required, but the FFL can be in either the originating or receiving state...
Click to expand...
But not, I'm afraid, if the transferee is a resident of California.

Under 18 USC 922(b)(3) the transfer of a long gun must, among other things, comply with the laws of both the State in which the transferee resides and the State in which the transfer takes place (if not the State in which the transferee resides). But California law would require, if the transferee is a California resident, that the transfer be done by an FFL in California. A transfer to a California resident requires a particular state form to be filed with the California Department of Justice and a ten day waiting period.
 
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