wolfee said:
If someone lives in Arizona, buys a non CA approved Ruger auto--legally, and then takes it with him when he moves to CA, can he continue to posses it legally? Does he have to declare it to local LE or something?
Hi,
The best place to get your answer is the CA Attorney General's office--you can start here:
http://oag.ca.gov/firearms
There are SOME cases where non-approved guns can be brought into CA, as long as they're registered w/ DOJ. As a general rule, CA's firearms are NOT "registered" in the strict sense, but there are certain situations where they are. Some "black rifles" have been registered under various "assault weapons" laws, and it's my understanding any handgun brought into the State by a new resident must be.
And there are certain situations where a CA resident can bring in "unapproved" handguns in cooperation w/ DOJ. A buddy was able to do that a couple of years ago when his Dad passed. Dad lived in FL, and had many firearms legal in FL but banned one way or another in CA. My buddy has to leave some of them in FL w/ his Mom--can't bring 'em in any legal way--but WAS able to bring at least one unapproved handgun in, classified as an "inheritance." He had to register it w/ DOJ to do so, but now has the only CA-legal "Judge" I'm aware of!
Anyway, the Att'y Gen'l's office has a "Contact Us" link somewhere on their site, and I'd suggest you ask them directly, giving specifics when appropriate. They've been good about returning calls when I've done that in the past. Our current AG is pretty anti-gun, but she's an elected official who won't be there as long as some of her staff, and the long-termers DO seem to know their stuff!
Good luck!
Rick C