Disassembling An AR To Comply With Future Laws

[Mark77]

Alright, so basically I would like to know how an AR needs to be disassembled in order to stay out trouble in case we have a ban on featureless rifles or all semi-autos.

-Would I only need to separate the lower and upper receivers?
-Would I need to strip them down further (ie remove bolt carrier group or fire control group)?
-Would I need to keep the receivers in two different locations (homes)?

I'm asking this in order to be able to avoid having to register my rifles or having to send them out of state, while remaining in compliance with whatever laws CA throws at me. Thanks in advance.

[Fiveohmike]

Alright, so basically I would like to know how an AR needs to be disassembled in order to stay out trouble in case we have a ban on featureless rifles or all semi-autos.

-Would I only need to separate the lower and upper receivers?
-Would I need to strip them down further (ie remove bolt carrier group or fire control group)?
-Would I need to keep the receivers in two different locations (homes)?

I'm asking this in order to be able to avoid having to register my rifles or having to send them out of state, while remaining in compliance with whatever laws CA throws at me. Thanks in advance.

Id assume a boating accident would take care of it.

But in reality its hard to say because we wouldn't know the wording of the law.

[Drew Eckhardt]

Currently, we don't know what the limitations are but suspect separation is sufficient.

DOJ's regulations filed on December 30th, 2016 include

11 CCR 5471(hh)

(hh) "Semiautomatic" means a firearm functionally able to fire a single cartridge, eject the empty case, and reload the chamber each time the trigger is pulled and released. Further, certain necessary mechanical parts that will allow a firearm to function in a semiautomatic nature must be present for a weapon to be deemed semiautomatic. A weapon clearly designed to be semiautomatic but lacking a firing pin, bolt carrier, gas tube, or some other crucial dart of the firearm is not semiautomatic for purposes of Penal Code section 30515, 30600 and 34605(a) and 30900.
...
(3) With regards to an AR-15 style firearm, if a complete upper receiver and a complete lower receiver are completely detached from one another, but still in the possession or under the custody or control of the same person, the firearm is not a semiautomatic firearm.

However, in the future our legislators are free to change assault weapon definitions (like the move from "capacity to accept a detachable magazine" to "does not have a fixed magazine") and define terms like "semiautomatic" to mean whatever they want. A few pen strokes are all that's needed to define your lowers as "semiautomatic firearms" that must be registered, or perhaps surrendered in a mandatory buyback.

As of the last election, Democrats gained super-majorities in both houses that can override Brown's veto. They successfully passed a magazine ban with no grandfather clause with a bill, and again as a ballot initiative.

We can't look at the past to predict the coming future beyond it having more onerous gun laws with less time passing before the next one.

[BrocLuno]

What does your lower say on the side in the engraving? If caliber = multi or various, then you can assemble as a 22 and you should be good for the foreseeable future. There are already about a zillion 22 tube fed rifles out in semi-auto that hold more than 10 rounds. I don't think they want to get into registering every 22 as some sort of evil rifle...

[Mark77]

Id assume a boating accident would take care of it.

But in reality its hard to say because we wouldn't know the wording of the law.

Knew this was coming

I prefer to sleep well at night, if you know what I mean.

Currently, we don't know what the limitations are but suspect separation is sufficient.

However, in the future our legislators are free to change assault weapon definitions (like the move from "capacity to accept a detachable magazine" to "does not have a fixed magazine") and define terms like "semiautomatic" to mean whatever they want. A few pen strokes are all that's needed to define your lowers as "semiautomatic firearms" that must be registered, or perhaps surrendered in a mandatory buyback.

As of the last election, our legislators gained super-majorities in both houses that can override Brown's veto. They successfully passed a magazine ban with no grandfather clause with a bill, and again as a ballot initiative.

We can't look at the past to predict the coming future beyond it having more onerous gun laws with less time passing before the next one.

You're right. I guess one shouldn't underestimate what CA politicians are capable of. Will have a talk with friends in the free states to see if I can send my guns their way in case I'm unable to have them in CA without registering.

What does your lower say on the side in the engraving? If caliber = multi or various, then you can assemble as a 22 and you should be good for the foreseeable future. There are already about a zillion 22 tube fed rifles out in semi-auto that hold more than 10 rounds. I don't think they want to get into registering every 22 as some sort of evil rifle...

Both are multi. I thought that is not a requirement for a 22? I thought I read that somewhere on these forums. Also, since it's rim-fire, I assume I would need more than just a complete upper and mags?

[Predator]

speculating about what may come is lame. If you want to be safer sell all of your semis and get bolt or lever action rifles!

[Mark77]

speculating about what may come is lame. If you want to be safer sell all of your semis and get bolt or lever action rifles!

Can't be limited to bolt and lever actions when there's a Predator lurking around.

[BrocLuno]

I think that if you have a 22 upper and mag installed while in storage or opened while in transport, they'll be looking somewhere else ...