I did search the forums  Couldnt find a concrete answer.    I am potentially selling a completely assembled lower to someone in California.   Will ship from my FFL to their FFL.   Is this legal?   It is a Geissele complete lower.  Take off from a pistol.  


Any insight is appreciated.    Thanks.

Sure, although the buyer will only be allowed to DROS it as a rifle receiver these days.

I'm not sure anymore if it has to be CA compliant prior to shipping or if the CA FFL can make it compliant in their shop.  It would suck to ship it and the receiving FFL rejects it as noncompliant.  Might be something to ask the buyer or the buyer's FFL about.  

I'm not even going to guess about the status of AR pistols anymore.  It was complicated before when there was a workaround, I'm sure it's worse now.

I don't see how a lower, stripped or assembled, could possibly be non-compliant unless it was on the make/model ban list.

Yeah, after thinking about it for a minute it makes sense that it can be imported because of the way the law is written.  It just can't be mated to an upper in such a way as to render it an AW.  So compliance is up to the buyer.  Does that sound right?  I've been doing this for a while and it's starting to get confusing for me.  Maybe they should use CA gun laws as an Alzheimer's screening?

I don't think Geissele receivers are engraved as pistols but if the receiver was engraved "Pistol"  could you import it?

I think it would just get DROSed as a rifle receiver in that case.  My understanding is that unlike the paper DROS, that the computer form will not allow you to pick pistol frame/receiver for a lower unless the transfer qualifies for a roster exemption.  On paper, it used to be possible.

I'm not sure how the single shot exemption thing works anymore.  I do think that the DOJ has gone beyond its rightful authority when it comes to roster exemptions or DROSing frames or receivers as pistols, but no one can really do anything about that.

In any case, a stripped lower or a complete one cannot meet the definition of an AW unless it is on the make/model ban list.  No reason it should not be able to be DROSed, and if an FFL refuses to do it, I'd say find another FFL and stop patronizing his business at all.

Appreciate all the insight.        Thanks.