PC 30900:
Assault Weapon Registration

California Penal Code Section 30900^[1] provides the legal framework for registering assault weapons that were lawfully possessed before the applicable ban took effect. Registration allows continued lawful possession but does not permit sale, transfer, or inheritance within California.

Registration Windows by Category

California has had multiple assault weapon registration periods. Section 30900 also required eligible owners who lawfully possessed weapons covered by Section 30515(a)(9), (10), or (11) before September 1, 2020, to apply for registration before January 1, 2022.

• Category 1 (Roberti-Roos named models): Persons who lawfully possessed assault weapons defined in the original former Section 12276 before June 1, 1989, were required to register them with the California Department of Justice by January 1, 1991. This was the original registration window under the 1989 Roberti-Roos Act.
• Category 2 (SB 23 characteristics-based): SB 23 (1999) established the registration requirement for firearms meeting the generic characteristics test. Except as provided in Section 30600, persons who lawfully possessed firearms before they became assault weapons under former Section 12276.1, and whose firearms were not already specified under former Section 12276 or 12276.5, were required to register by January 1, 2001. Owners of AK and AR-15 series weapons identified under the Kasler list were required to register by January 23, 2001.
• Court-designated weapons Persons who lawfully possessed a firearm before it was specified as an assault weapon under former Section 12276.5 were required to register it within 90 days. Section 30510(d) covers court-declared assault weapons, and Section 30520 assigns the Attorney General identification and listing duties.

Bullet Button Assault Weapons

In 2016, the California Legislature passed SB 880 and AB 1135, which replaced the detachable-magazine criterion with a test for specified semiautomatic firearms that do not have a fixed magazine and have a listed feature. The bills defined a fixed magazine as an ammunition feeding device contained in, or permanently attached to, a firearm so that it cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action. Owners of these newly classified assault weapons were given until June 30, 2018, to register them with the DOJ through the online Assault Weapon Registration (AWR) system^[2]. Those who did not register were required to modify their rifles to a compliant configuration (featureless or fixed magazine), remove them from the state, or surrender them.

Registration Requirements

Registration under Section 30900 requires submission of the owner's identifying information, a description of the firearm including make, model, serial number, and type, and the applicable registration fee. Registered assault weapons must be stored securely and may only be transported in compliance with Penal Code Section 30945, which requires the weapon to be unloaded, stored in a locked container, and transported directly between specified locations.

Restrictions on Registered Assault Weapons

Transfers of registered assault weapons within California are generally prohibited, but exceptions include sales to licensed gun dealers with the required DOJ permit and sales to qualifying peace officers with written agency approval through a dealer with a Dangerous Weapons Permit. Upon the death of the registered owner, the firearm must be surrendered to law enforcement, removed from the state, or sold to a licensed dealer who will remove it from California. There is no inheritance exemption for registered assault weapons.