So I emailed the Kalifornia DOJ asking for a clarification on one of the guns listed in Roberti-Roos.  My question was:

I was looking at a catalog and noticed Beretta BM59's for sale.  The guns in question were originals, produced by and for the Italian military many years ago (as is my understanding).  They appear legal under the features-based ban, but on the Roberti-Roos list I noticed that the Springfield Armory BM59 is banned.  Does this mean that the original production Beretta BM59 is banned also?  Thank you, [minion82].


So a week goes by, and this response shows up in my email box (verbatim except for names):

Dear Mr. X:

Thank you for your recent inquiry to the Firearms Division.  There are three categories of assault weapons under California law. The first category is firearms listed on the original Roberti-Roos assault weapons list (Penal Code section, subds (a), (b), and (c)). The second category of assault weapons is AK and AR-15 series weapons (Penal Code sections 12276 (e) and (f)). The third category of assault    weapons is defined by specific generic characteristics (PC section 12276.1, SB 23). In addition to California law, assault weapons are regulated by federal law. For information on federal laws relative to assault weapons, please contact the Federal Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, and Firearms.

These descriptions can be viewed at http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/awlist.htm,
http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/infobuls/kaslist.pdf, and http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/genchar.htm.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Firearms Division at (916) 227-3703.

Thank you,

John Doe, Analyst
Firearms Division
Department of Justice




Wow, that sure cleared things up [>:/].  Thanks for referring me back to the law I was asking about, guys!  I'm wondering if they even read my email before responding, and if so, did they not know the answer or just not care?  Either way scares me, since these people are supposed to be interpreting our myriad firearms laws.  Your tax dollars at work. [:D]