FYI

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We kindly ask that you first review the below listed FAQ so that we may provide the best quality answer to your questions.

Please note that we are a small company, and our workload typically prohibits taking the time to field questions via telephone. We primarily use the phone system to communicate after you’ve established initial contact with us and we’ve reached initial agreement on the particular service you want us to perform for you. We have found that it is much more efficient way for us to communicate with our valued customers through email, as no time is wasted playing phone tag. We respond to email messages very promptly. However, if you prefer to communicate via telephone, please be patient when anticipating a return call.

1. How do I know that you are a legitimate California and Federal Firearms Licensed dealer?
   • Go to the BATFE’s (http://www.atf.gov/firearms/index.htm)
     FFL E-Z Check page at https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck. Then enter in the following code 9-33-xxx-xx-xx-03254. You can also contact the California DOJ at 916. 227.3694, and ask if PM Enterprises has a CFD number that authorizes Terrence McGill to conduct business as a firearms dealer in California. Gunsmiths operating in California are required to be licensed as California and Federal Firearms Licensed dealers.
2. Am I eligible to possess a firearm in California?
   • You can use the Personal Firearms Eligibility Check Program to verify your eligibility before you contact me or visit (https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/pfecfaqs).
3. Why does the answer to my firearms question that you gave me seem different than what I read or was told by someone else?
   • Like most laws, almost every law pertaining to firearms, especially those related to buying/selling/transferring firearms, has many exceptions and exemptions. We’ve attempted to summarize some common questions for you, without listed every possible exception or exemption. We’ll gladly answer your detailed questions and/or refer you to the website that contains the particulars. Often times you may receive a generalized answer to your question. For almost every firearm purchase or transfer situation, exceptions exist. Many exemptions exist too. Run your question by us again and we will also ask you some more specific questions about your circumstances and desired transaction. We will provide you the precise requirements and answers for your specific situation.
4. What type of services do you offer?
   • We offer excellent professional services and only those that we are qualified to deliver. We provide outstanding Gunsmith services; we provide free first-rate referrals to other Gunsmiths for services we don’t provide and those we recognize we’re not setup or qualified to provide. We provide certified beginner and basic firearm instruction. We provide Firearm Safety Certificate (FCS) testing and issue certificates. We do NOT sell or transfer firearms.
5. What does it take to buy/sell/transfer a gun in California?
   • Almost all firearm owner transfers within California (or into California from another state) require that you use an FFL to process the transfer. Please call us if you want to know the exceptions, they are some exceptions and most are generally related to intra-familiar ownership transfers. In order to purchase a firearm you will have to go to a transfer FFL and start your background check (and 10 day wait) in person (also known as Dealer Record of Sale (DROS)) paperwork. After 240 hours then you will have to return to pick up your firearm. Some exemptions apply.
   • The minimum legal age to purchase a firearm in California is 21 years of age. Hunting license, LE and Military exemptions exist for long guns; other than semi-auto center-fire rifles. Federal prohibits the sale of “non-shoulder fired” firearms (e.g. lower receivers) to persons under the age of 21 (ATF Newsletter November 2009).
   • The buyer must present “clear evidence of identity and age” which is defined as a valid, non-expired California Driver License or Identification Card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. A military identification accompanied by permanent duty station orders indicating a posting in California is also acceptable. Driver License or ID cards that read “Federal Limits Apply” must be accompanied by a certified birth certificate or non-expired passport.
   • If the purchaser is not a U.S. Citizen, then he or she is required to demonstrate that he or she is legally within the United States by providing the firearms dealer with documentation containing his/her Alien Registration Number or I-94 Number.
   • Purchasers of firearms are also required to have a valid Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC), or have a valid proof of exemption.
   • Purchasers of handguns are required to provide proof of residency within California. Acceptable forms of proof of residency include: vehicle registration in the purchaser’s name and not expired, or a utility bill (e.g. water, electric, gas, trash) dated within the last three months, residential lease, property deed, or government-issued identification; all must have buyer’s current address.
   • If the address on your driver’s license is not your current address, you must provide additional documentation. Federal law mandates that a dealer may not sell or transfer any firearm (long gun, handgun, lower receiver, etc) unless the purchaser provides the dealer with a current and valid government-issued picture ID and a current and valid government-issued document that includes the purchaser’s residence address. This could simply be your California driver’s license if it contains your current address. If the address on your CA Driver’s license is not current or if the address reflects a business address or P.O. Box, you will be required to provide a government document that shows your current residence address. All documents provided to the FFL must be current, valid, and not expired.
6. What is DROS and how much does it cost? When are DROS fees due?
   • DROS is an acronym for Dealer Record of Sale. The CA DOJ fee for a single firearm transaction is $37.19. (The DROS fee is $31.19 which covers the costs of the background checks and transfer registry, there is also a $1.00 Firearms Safety Fee, and a $5.00 Firearm Safety Enforcement Fee; for a total of $37.19). Your CA DOJ fee is due at the time of DROS submittal, also known as the start of your ten day waiting period. The dealer will generally collect this fee at that time, as they are charged the $37.19 fee by the CA DOJ, independent of whether you pass the background check or not. The dealer simply acts as the middleman for collecting this $37.19, as 100% of this $37.19 is repaid by us to the State of California. Additionally if you do not pick up your firearm within a 30 day time frame from DROS submittal, CA DOJ mandates that you must start the DROS process over again and pay the appropriate fees again. The additional charge for transfers is commonly referred to as the ‘dealer fee’. It is the ‘dealer fee’ that may vary from one business to the next.
   • Sales conducted between unlicensed individuals are called Private Party Transfers. PPT’s must be processed through an FFL. Two California residents buyer/seller must show up at the same FFL to complete the transaction. The purchaser bears the cost of the transaction ($37.19 in DOJ fees and $10 per firearm in FFL fees). All dealers charge the exact same fee for PPTs.
7. After I complete the initial paperwork, how long do I have to wait before I am allowed to take my new firearm home per California law?
   • The waiting period for the purchase or transfer of handguns and long guns is 240 hours from the date and time of the acceptance of the DROS information by the CA DOJ and the assignment of the unique DROS number. This acceptance/assignment occurs when you initially complete the purchase/transfer paperwork in-person at the shop. Firearms cannot be released to a purchaser/new owner before the end of the 240 hours. Further, a purchaser/new owner will have to resubmit their DROS information and pay the DROS fee again if they do not pick up their firearm within 30 days of the original DROS submittal. So, it basically amounts to waiting ten full days after showing up to fill out paperwork and returning to the shop after the tenth full day but no later than 30 full days.
8. What handguns are legal to buy in California?
   • Refer to the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale before ordering a handgun. This is a dynamic list. The California legislature has established a handgun safety testing procedure and places “safe” guns on the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale (https://www.oag.ca.gov/firearms/certguns). Many exceptions and exemptions exist.
9. What is a Firearm Safety Certificate? Do I need one?
   • The California Department of Justice requires the receiver (aka new owner, buyer) of a firearm to possess a Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC). You will need an FSC if you want to buy or receive a long gun or handgun from us or you will have to meet an appropriate exemption classification. We offer the FSC instruction and you may pay to take the exam from us. Cost is $25.00.
10. How many centerfire semiautomatic rifles and handguns can I buy at a time?
    • The State of California law limits the purchase of handguns and or semiautomatic centerfire rifles to no more than one handgun or semiautomatic centerfire rifle transferred from a dealer to an individual within any 30-day period. Transactions related to law enforcement, private party transfers, return to owners, and other specified circumstances are exempt from the one-per-30-day restriction.
11. Do I have to buy a gun lock with my firearm purchase?
    • California law requires that all firearms sold, be transferred with a trigger lock, cable lock, qualifying gun cabinet or lock box, or gun safe. These devices may include CA approved trigger/cable locks that come with most new firearms or one that was purchased within the last 30 days, provided that it is accompanied by a receipt. State law allows persons who already own a safe or lock box to sign an affidavit attesting to ownership of those devices.
    • Federal law, which went into effect after the passage of CA law, mandates that a trigger lock accompany any handgun transfer without consideration of CA law. This means that safe affidavits are no longer acceptable for handgun transfers.

Glossary

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BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) – The federal agency responsible for monitoring Federal Firearms Licensees and firearms businesses. http://www.atf.gov/firearms/index.htm

CA DOJ (California Department of Justice) – The state agency responsible for monitoring Federal Firearms Licensees and firearms business. http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/

CFD (California Firearms Dealer) – The CFD number is a unique number assigned by the CA DOJ to each firearms dealer location in California that the CA DOJ recognizes as fully licensed pursuant to PC Section 12071. The CFD number serves as the dealer’s identifier for submitting DROS information and for other business dealings with the CA DOJ.

CFLC (California Firearm License Check) – Applies to FFLs doing business in California; those that live here and receive firearms and FFLs that send firearms from within California to other FFLs and FFL from outside California that send firearms to California FFLs. According to the CA DOJ, these “senders” are required to verify the CA Firearms License prior to shipping a firearm. To do so, a sending FFL logs into the CA DOJ website, enters the Centralized List (CL) number of the receiving California FFL and other identifiable information, indicate whether sending a handgun or long-gun, the quantity and submit the request. The site will be provide a shipment letter. This letter will contain a California Firearms Licensee Check System (CFLC) number. As a minimum, the receiving FFL must be provided the CFLC number. As a common courtesy, a copy of the letter should be included with the firearm shipment. If the receiving California dealer does not receive a CFLC number form the sending FFL, the firearm MUST be returned to the sender. During CA DOJ dealer inspections, the  CFLC numbers must be provided to the CA DOJ inspector. If you are an FFL and you are not registered that is no problem; the process only takes about 5 minutes and is totally free. Since 2008, California requires that “As of July 1, 2008, California Penal Code Section 12072(f)(1) [PDF 30 kb / 1 pg] prohibits all Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs), other than Type 03 or 06 FFLs, from shipping firearms to an FFL in California unless, prior to delivery, the FFL intending to deliver, sell or transfer the firearms obtains a verification approval number from the California Department of Justice (CADOJ) Bureau of Firearms.” Here is the link to the CA DOJ FAQs too.

DROS (Dealer Record of Sale) – The State of California requires all long gun and handgun transactions to be processed electronically through the CA DOJ. The DROS fee is paid to and collected by the State of California. Like all firearm dealers, we charge a ‘dealer fee’ for each transaction in addition to the CA DOJ DROS charge.

FFL (Federal Firearms License or Licensee) – The federal government requires all interstate firearms transactions to be processed through an FFL and California requires all California Firearms Dealers (CFD); including Gunsmiths to possess an FFL. We have a Class 01 FFL.

FSD (Firearms Safety Device) – The State of California has determined that only certain “gun locks” are good enough to put on a firearm and as a result if you buy a “gun lock” in California, it has to be on the Roster of Firearms Safety Devices Certified for Sale. If used to transfer a firearm through an FFL, it must be accompanied by a recent sales receipt, within the last 30 days. Alternatives exist.

FSC (Firearms Safety Certificate) – The Firearms Safety Certificate is a state mandated program that was developed to make sure that individuals purchasing long guns and handguns demonstrate safe handgun handling and storage procedures. In order to purchase a gun in California, you must have a FSC or meet an appropriate exemption classification. The FSC costs $25 and is valid for five years from the date of issuance. You must also demonstrate a “safe handling demonstration” in front of a CA DOJ certified instructor prior to taking possession of a firearm. Exemptions exist.

OLL (Off List Lower) – Off List Lower refers to a California Legal AR-15 or AK-47 receiver that is not listed by the CA DOJ as prohibited and therefore is legal for purchase in California. These lower receivers must still comply with the generic features bans.

PPT (Private Party Transfer) – A private party transfer is a firearm transfer from one unlicensed California resident to another unlicensed resident. Private party transfers are not transactions between us and any other individual or FFL. During a private party transfer the FFL acts as a paperwork processing agent; representing neither buyer nor seller. The transfer fee for a private party transfer fee is mandated by the state.

Safe Handling Demonstration – The State of California has mandated that anyone who purchases a firearm must pass a “safe handling demonstration in front of a CA DOJ certified instructor prior to taking possession of a firearm. If you cannot demonstrate safe handling procedures in front of us, we cannot release your firearm to you until you do. Exemptions exist.