Are these firearms legal in California?

[magmanl337]

Below is a list of firearms that i want to own once i am 21 and have a firearms owners liscence. My question is, are they legal in california?

Heckler & Koch MP5a3
Heckler & Koch USP
Glock 18 or 17
Colt M4a1
Colt 1911 Semi Auto Pistol
Steyr TMP
Beretta 92F
Desert Eagle with .50 and .45 caliber barrels
Ak-47
Bushmaster AR-15 Competition Edition
Remington 700PSS .308

Does anyone know where i can get a list of all the illegal firearms in California? i might even consider moving to a state with less strict gun laws if CA is prohibiting me form leally getting most of these guns.

[Blennidae]

http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/

All your answers can be found there. I think most of the pistols you listed are available, but the magazines will be limited to 10rds, regardless of how many the standard capacity magazines can hold. The bolt action M700 you can get. I wasn't aware of a Desert Eagle in .45, but I have seen them in .357, .44. and .50AE. If you want to own your choice of firearms, DO NOT live in California. The bottom line is it sucks to be a gun owner in CA.

[magmanl337]

[url] I wasn't aware of a Desert Eagle in .45, but I have seen them in .357, .44. and .50AE.

slip of the finger, i meant .44

[magmanl337]

i just looked at the list of legal firearms in california - ALL handguns. I'm definately moving once i am 21.

[TransMan]

they have them in .45acp too my uncle used to have one I shot it

*EDIT* Whoops just remembered it wasnt a .45 it was a .44 i thot it was a .45 at first cuz i shot a .50 once before it .

[Steelrat]

Heckler & Koch MP5a3-good gun, but the 10 round carbine version is kind of pointless
Heckler & Koch USP-Not bad, sig is better
Glock 18 or 17-not bad, sig is better
Colt M4a1-good gun
Colt 1911 Semi Auto Pistol-Mmm, wilson combat 1911, mmmmm
Steyr TMP
Beretta 92F -complete junk
Desert Eagle with .50 and .45 caliber barrels-junk, but show up a lot in movies, good for novelty
Ak-47-better off with the m4 or ar-15
Bushmaster AR-15 Competition Edition-good gun, bushmaster lowers are good
Remington 700PSS .308-excellent rifle

If you want to buy a lot of firearms, california is not the best bet.

[Blennidae]

I agree with Steelrat, Sig is better.

[LittlePaintballBoy]

I Like my 1022.

Think an MP5 is over-kill for varmint hunting?

[magmanl337]

i forgot the sig sauer =P hehe

[Destructo6]

The following are all CA "Assault Weapons" and must have been possessed and registered prior to Jan 01, 2001 to now legally own:

• Colt M4a1
  Ak-47 (all variants)
  Bushmaster AR-15 Competition Edition
  HK-94/93/91/41/43 ("clip-on" gripframe, making them semiautomatic in the BATFE's eyes)

CA approved pistols:

• Heckler & Koch USP: Most varients are CA approved and legal.
  Colt 1911 Semi Auto Pistol (there are many makes approved: kimber, colt, springfield, etc)
  Glock 17
  Desert Eagle in 44mag only.
  Beretta 92F

NFA weapons, which are generally not legal in CA:

• Heckler & Koch MP5a3 (this is a push-pin receiver, which is considered automatic by the BATFE)
  Glock model 18 is a fully automatic NFA weapon.
  Steyr TMP

Remington 700PSS .308 is a run of the mill rifle. IIRC, Remington doesn't like these being sold to non-LEO types, but there is no law prohibiting doing so.

[magmanl337]

Whats the criminal sentence for illegally owning these weapons? Also, i thought that the law passed on Setp 10 1994 making all fully automatic guns illegal, was removed ten years later, on sept 10 2004?

[Southpaw]

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!! Fully automatic guns are still BANNED/very regulated!!!!! The assualt weaopn ban was lifted though witch has no real connection with full auto guns other than looks.

[Destructo6]

Whats the criminal sentence for illegally owning these weapons? Also, i thought that the law passed on Setp 10 1994 making all fully automatic guns illegal, was removed ten years later, on sept 10 2004?

Welcome to the exciting and convoluted world of US gun ownership.

The 1994 ban had nothing to do with automatic weapons. The 94 "assault weapons" ban prohibited some cosmetic features (more than 2 of the following: pistol grip, flash hider, detachable magazine, bayonet lug, etc). This ban expired a couple months ago.

The 1934 National Firearm Act (NFA) sought to prohibit fully automatic weapons (more than one shot per 1 pull of the trigger) by levying a $200 tax on the manufacture and transfer of ownership. This law is still in effect.

The 1968 Gun Control Act (GCA) established a licensing scheme for dealers (FFLs) who would be allowed to engage in interstate commerce of guns. If you don't have an FFL, you can't ship a gun across state lines for sale or transfer of ownership. It also prohibited the import of NFA weapons, except for military or law enforcement, making only domestic versions available to the eligible public. This law is still in effect.

The 1986 Fiream Owners Protection Act (FOPA) prohibited the establishment of a registry of gun ownership by the Federal government. This is the bit of legislation cited curing the Clinton administration when they wanted the FBI to hold onto "Instant Check" information longer than the required time period. Also, there was a rider on this bill that prohibited the registration of new NFA weapons.

There are a host of other federal laws that govern firearms, but those are the big ones. There are many more state and local laws.

The penalty for possessing an unregistered NFA weapon is 10 years and/or $250,000 fine. If you don't have the legal version, it's not worth it as you have something that can garner you some serious trouble, but can't use (where are you going to shoot it without raising questions?).

There is a legal challenge to some of the NFA restrictions. It has been that any automatic weapon is a NFA weapon, but the NFA gets its authority from the "Commerce Clause" of the US Constitution. So the question is, "Does the NFA apply to an automatic firearm that was built by the owner for his/her personal use only and is not likely to leave the state?" Not long ago (this year, iirc) a judge said, "no," and the NFA guys got all weak in the knees.

[Eagle]

I don't know specific laws fro California, but last I checked, it is Federal Law that any full auto weapon requires a class3 firearms licence. To get one of those you usually, but not always, need to be Active Duty military, Federal Law Enforcement, or a firearms dealer. Now thats not to say that you can't buy a semi-auto weapon, such as an SKS, and install a spring kit to make it full auto (in this case, into an AK47). As for the Glock 18, I looked into it myself. If you aren't Military or Law Enforcement, they are illiegal.

[PyRo]

Just because you are military or law enforcement doesn't mean you can get a license. Why would you need a full automatic weapon because you are military or law enforcement; I could see an argument (although a weak one) for law enforcement, but none for military. The only thing I know for sure is if you manage to get a dealers license you can buy just about anything you want, but a dealers license is very hard to get now, the average person cannot just buy one like you could 20 years ago in some states.