Glossary

Key terms and abbreviations used in California firearms law.

AFS: Automated Firearms System. The California DOJ database that records all registered firearms in the state. The AFS is populated through DROS submissions, law enforcement entries, assault weapon registrations, and new resident reports. Persons in the AFS qualify for the $1 standard ammunition eligibility check rather than the $19 basic check.
APPS: Armed Prohibited Persons System. A California DOJ program that cross-references the AFS against criminal and mental health databases to identify persons who have become prohibited from owning firearms after a lawful purchase. DOJ agents then seek to recover firearms from newly prohibited persons. Unique to California with no federal equivalent.
Assault Weapon: As defined under Cal. Penal Code Sections 30510, 30515, and 30520, a firearm identified by name (Category 1, Roberti-Roos Act), by physical characteristics (Category 2, SB 23 features test), or by Attorney General designation (Category 3). Manufacturing, selling, or possessing an unregistered assault weapon is a crime under PC 30600.
AWR: Assault Weapon Registration. The DOJ online system through which owners of newly reclassified assault weapons (particularly bullet button rifles) were required to register by June 30, 2018. Registered assault weapons may be kept by the original registrant but may not be sold, transferred, or inherited within California.
Boland v. Bonta: A federal lawsuit challenging California's microstamping, chamber load indicator, and magazine disconnect mechanism requirements for new semiautomatic pistol models on the Certified Handguns Roster. In March 2023, the court issued a preliminary injunction suspending all three requirements, enabling new models to be added to the roster for the first time since 2013. The case was stayed pending the Ninth Circuit's en banc resolution of Duncan v. Bonta. In July 2025, the California DOJ published a report finding microstamping technologically viable. The injunction remains in effect regardless of the DOJ report while the underlying litigation continues.
Bruen: Shorthand for the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen (597 U.S. 1), which struck down New York's "proper cause" requirement for concealed carry licenses and established the historical-tradition test for evaluating firearms regulations. Prompted California's enactment of SB 2.
Bullet Button: A now-obsolete compliance device (2007-2016) that replaced the standard AR-15 magazine release with a recessed button requiring a tool to depress. Satisfied the pre-2017 definition of "non-detachable magazine." Reclassified as a detachable magazine device by SB 880 and AB 1135 (2016), effective January 1, 2017.
CCW: Concealed Carry Weapon permit. Issued by the county sheriff or city police chief under Cal. Penal Code Sections 26150 and 26155. Valid for two years. Following Bruen, the former "good cause" standard was replaced by a "good moral character" standard under SB 2.
CFARS: California Firearms Application Reporting System. The DOJ online portal for submitting applications for serial numbers for self-manufactured firearms, voluntary firearm registrations, assault weapon registrations, and other firearms-related transactions.
COE: Certificate of Eligibility. A DOJ-issued document verifying that an individual is not prohibited from possessing firearms. Required for firearms dealers and their employees, and useful for Type 03 FFL holders to access exemptions from the one-in-30 and roster restrictions. Requires annual renewal and ongoing DOJ monitoring.
DROS: Dealer Record of Sale. The centralized electronic record-keeping and background check system through which every lawful firearm transaction in California must be processed. The total mandatory state fee is $37.19 per transaction ($31.19 DROS fee plus surcharges). Submission initiates the mandatory 10-day waiting period under Penal Code Section 27540.
Duncan v. Bonta: A federal lawsuit challenging California's large-capacity magazine ban (PC 32310). Judge Benitez struck down the ban in 2019, creating "Freedom Week" (March 29 to April 5, 2019). Following remand for reconsideration under the Bruen framework, the Ninth Circuit en banc panel upheld the ban in a 7-4 decision on March 20, 2025. A petition for certiorari is pending at the Supreme Court (Docket No. 25-198). The ban remains enforceable.
Featureless: A rifle compliance strategy where all six prohibited features under PC 30515 are removed (pistol grip, thumbhole stock, folding/telescoping stock, grenade/flare launcher, flash suppressor, forward pistol grip), allowing the rifle to retain a standard detachable magazine without being classified as an assault weapon.
Fixed Magazine: A magazine that cannot be removed from a firearm without disassembly of the firearm action, as defined in 11 CCR 5471. Used as a compliance strategy that allows retention of all prohibited features on a rifle because the assault weapon definition requires both a detachable magazine and a prohibited feature.
Freedom Week: The period from March 29 to April 5, 2019, during which Judge Benitez's injunction in Duncan v. Bonta rendered California's large-capacity magazine ban unenforceable. Magazines lawfully acquired during this window are generally considered lawfully possessed. No registration requirement exists, but owners should retain proof of acquisition date.
FSC: Firearms Safety Certificate. Required under PC 31610 for all firearm purchases in California. Obtained by passing a 30-question written test ($25 fee) administered by a DOJ Certified Instructor. Valid for five years. Replaced the former Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC) on January 1, 2015.
GVRO: Gun Violence Restraining Order. A court order under Cal. Penal Code Sections 18100-18205 authorizing the temporary seizure of firearms and ammunition from a person deemed to pose a significant danger of harm to themselves or others. Petitioners may include family members, household members, employers, coworkers, teachers, and law enforcement.
Handgun Roster: The California DOJ Roster of Certified Handguns for Sale. Only handguns listed on this roster may be sold by licensed dealers. The roster shrank steadily after the microstamping requirement took effect in May 2013, as no manufacturer submitted a new semiautomatic pistol model with functional microstamping. In March 2023, the Boland v. Bonta preliminary injunction suspended the microstamping, chamber load indicator, and magazine disconnect mechanism requirements, allowing new models to be submitted. New models including the Biofire Smart Gun (certified February 2025) and select Sig Sauer and Shadow Systems variants have since been added. The injunction remains in effect while litigation continues.
Intrafamilial Transfer: A firearm transfer between qualifying family members (parent/child or grandparent/grandchild only) that is exempt from the dealer requirement under PC 27870. The transfer must still be reported to the DOJ within 30 days via form BOF 4544A. Exempt from the Certified Handguns Roster requirement, making it a legal pathway for off-roster handguns.
May v. Bonta: A federal lawsuit challenging SB 2's sensitive places provisions. Before SB 2 took effect on January 1, 2024, the district court issued preliminary injunctions blocking most provisions. On September 6, 2024, the Ninth Circuit ruled in consolidated proceedings (May/Carralero/Wolford), upholding 20 of 26 sensitive places categories. The mandate issued January 23, 2025, making those 20 categories enforceable. Six remain enjoined: hospitals, public transit, places of worship, financial institutions, permitted gatherings, and private property default. An en banc petition and district court proceedings continue.
Microstamping: A technology required by PC 31910 for new semiautomatic pistol models submitted to the Certified Handguns Roster. Requires the firing pin to imprint a microscopic code onto each fired cartridge case, identifying the firearm's make, model, and serial number. No manufacturer has implemented the technology since the requirement took effect in May 2013.
Miller v. Bonta: A federal lawsuit challenging California's entire assault weapons ban under the Second Amendment. Judge Benitez ruled the ban unconstitutional in 2021. The Ninth Circuit vacated the ruling and remanded for reconsideration under the Bruen framework. The case remains pending and the ban remains enforceable.
PPT: Private Party Transfer. A firearm transaction between two private individuals processed through a licensed dealer under PC 27500. The dealer submits a DROS, conducts a background check, and enforces the 10-day waiting period. The dealer may charge up to $10 per firearm (PC 27560). Handguns transferred via PPT are exempt from the Certified Handguns Roster.
Proposition 63: The Safety for All Act of 2016, approved by 63.1% of voters. Established the ammunition vendor licensing and point-of-sale background check system, strengthened the large-capacity magazine ban by eliminating the grandfathering provision, required theft and loss reporting, and enhanced the APPS program. Key provisions took effect July 1, 2019.
Roberti-Roos: The Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989, the first state-level assault weapons ban in the United States. Identified assault weapons by a named list of specific makes and models (now codified at PC 30510). Prompted by the 1989 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton.
SB 2: Senate Bill 2 (Portantino, 2023). California's legislative response to the Bruen decision. Replaced the "good cause" CCW standard with "good moral character," expanded training requirements to 16 hours, designated 26 categories of sensitive places where carry is prohibited, and established a default prohibition on carry on private property without owner consent. Following the Ninth Circuit's May v. Bonta ruling (September 2024, mandate January 23, 2025), 20 of 26 sensitive places categories are enforceable. Six remain enjoined: hospitals, public transit, places of worship, financial institutions, permitted gatherings, and private property default.
Safe Handling Demonstration: A mandatory demonstration at the point of firearm pickup where the buyer must show safe handling procedures for the specific firearm purchased, performed in front of a DOJ Certified Instructor. Required for every firearm purchase under PC 26850. Separate from the FSC written test.
Wobbler: A California criminal offense that may be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony at the prosecutor's discretion. Many California firearms violations are wobblers, including possession of an unregistered assault weapon (PC 30605), carrying a concealed firearm without a permit (PC 25400), and possession of short-barreled rifles or shotguns (PC 33215).