Quoted: If I were to move to California (there is a possibility), would I have to get rid of my AK and AR?
|
Essentially, yes. You would not be allowed to bring them into the state. All AR and AK-pattern guns are banned by name, and many other types are banned by features. It is also illegal to import mags holding more than 10 rounds.
I read the laws on the Kalifornya state website, and for what I understood, you had to get a permit and transfer them into the state through a dealer. Is this right, wrong, or is there a law passed after the one I read that would change those requirements?
|
This is how they get around the 2nd Amendment challenges. Technically, you can get a permit and import PRK "AWs", but unless you are in the active military and being transferred here as a permanent duty station, you won't get one.
The Roberti-Roos '89 law banned a bunch of guns by name, and included "and clones and copies of" text for many guns, such as the "Colt AR-15" and the "AK-47". In late '99, a court challenge to this was finally resolved, requiring the AG to state which specific "clones and copies" were banned. Lockyer quickly issued an extensive list of every known AR and AK model.
At the same time, Senate Bill 23 had passed, banning "AWs" by feature, and allowing one less feature than the Federal ban, so FALs and G3s are legal, but can't have a pistol grip. Both RR89 and SB23 were essentially "merged" and the sales of these guns ended on 12/31/1999, and they had to either be removed from the state or registered by 12/31/2000.
You might get a permit if you are rich, very well connected, or a Hollywood celeb, but otherwise, the active duty military exception is the only way to legally get an AW into the state.
Oh, did I mention that registered AWs cannot be passed on upon the death of the registered owner? The gun must either be removed from the state or turned in. This means AWs are totally banned, but that they're willing to wait and let attrition remove them one-by-one, which helps prevent enough people from being angry at once and doing something about it.
-Troy