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Quick summary - applies to probably 95% of transfers. C&R excluded here.
1) You must use a CA FFL - see narrow exception below. There are no 'paperless' transfers' in CA.
2) You must have a Firearms Safety Certificate to buy/receive.
3) You may buy directly from a dealer - new or used - and the handgun must be on the Roster.
4) You may buy from another CA resident - new or used - and you must do so at a CA FFL; the Roster does NOT apply. The DROS software requires CA ID from both parties. This what CA calls a PPT - Private Party Transfer; California does not have a Person to Person, no-FFL transfer.
1 handgun in 30 days does NOT apply, except inside the City of Los Angeles; don't do your PPT at a City of LA FFL and you avid that complication.
5) You may buy/receive from a NON-CA resident, if you can find an FFL who wants to do it; the Roster DOES apply.
6) You, a CA resident, may receive as a gift a handgun from an out-of-state immediate family member - CA defines that as parent/child or grandparent/grandchild ONLY - at a CA FFL. Federal law requires interstate transfer to go through an FFL in the state of residence of the receiver/transferee. The Roster does NOT apply.
Some CA FFLs are not well-informed and will tell you several mistaken things: a) the transfer is illegal; b) the Roster applies; c) you do not need an FFL. Find another FFL if yours tells you any of those.
NOTE: this faq - https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs#5 - from DOJ applies ONLY to (7), below. That FAQ answer applies only when all parties are CA residents.
7) THE EXCEPTION: You, a CA resident 18 years and older, may receive from/give to your immediate family - CA defines that as parent/child or grandparent/grandchild ONLY - without the FFL, but the receiving person must file an Operation of Law form, either in paper, https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/a...rms/oplaw.pdf?, or on line, https://cfars.doj.ca.gov/crisHome!di...HomeAsGuest.do
The process is the same for long guns, except there is no Roster, but there are 'assault weapon' configuration issues.
DROS software requires buyers to show CA ID; this usually means an out of state person can not purchase a gun in CA.
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