PC 16000-17360:
Firearms Definitions

California Penal Code Part 6, Title 1 (Sections 16000 through 17360) contains preliminary provisions, including a division of definitions used in the state's firearms laws.^[1] Before 2012, these definitions were scattered across multiple code sections. The Deadly Weapons Recodification Act of 2010 (SB 1080) reorganized these definitions into Division 2 of Title 1. The act took effect January 1, 2011, and became operative January 1, 2012.^[2]

Core Firearm Definition (PC 16520)

Section 16520 defines "firearm" as a device designed to be used as a weapon, from which a projectile is expelled through a barrel by the force of an explosion or other form of combustion. The definition explicitly includes the frame or receiver of the weapon. This definition covers handguns, rifles, shotguns, and other devices meeting the functional criteria. Section 16520(d) excludes unloaded antique firearms for the provisions listed in that subdivision.

Handgun (PC 16640)

Section 16640 defines "handgun" as any pistol, revolver, or firearm capable of being concealed upon the person.^[3] The concealability standard is the key distinguishing factor. A firearm with a barrel length of less than 16 inches and an overall length of less than 26 inches is generally classified as a handgun. This classification triggers specific requirements including the Handgun Roster, the firearm purchase frequency limit under PC 27535, and handgun safety testing. As amended by AB 1078 (operative April 1, 2026), PC 27535 caps purchases at three firearms cumulatively within any 30-day period and applies to all firearm types, not handguns alone. The former one-firearm-in-30-days version of Section 27535 became inoperative on that date.

Rifle (PC 17090)

Section 17090 defines "rifle" as a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder. It must be designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed cartridge to fire only a single projectile through a rifled bore for each single pull of the trigger.^[4] A rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches is classified as a short-barreled rifle under PC 17170, which is generally prohibited.

Shotgun (PC 17190)

Section 17190 defines "shotgun" as a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder. It must use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.^[5] A shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches is a short-barreled shotgun under PC 17180, which is generally prohibited.

Additional Key Definitions

Title 1 also defines "antique firearm" (PC 16170), "bona fide evidence of identity" (PC 16300), and "firearm capable of being concealed upon the person" (PC 16530). PC 16520(b) includes frames and receivers in the firearm definition for the provisions listed there. PC 32000(b)(3) uses the federal curio or relic definition in 27 CFR 478.11. Each of these definitions determines which regulatory provisions apply to a given weapon and its owner.