Bullet button question from my ffl

[1*mike]

There are many issues involved, particularly if this is coming from a private party.

First of all, we need to find out what the brand and model number is of the rifle.* There are some models prohibited regardless of whether or not it has the features to make it an assault rifle.

Assuming that the gun is NOT on the prohibited list (PC 12276(a)-(c)), it cannot be on the secondary assault weapon list (PC 12276(e)).* This list is on the DOJ website at:* http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/regs/chapter40.pdf.

If it is not on either of these lists, the second issue is how this guy acquired the gun.* Would this be considered an assault rifle if the magazine was not fixed (detachable)?* If so, how is the gun modified to make the magazine fixed?* Is it a manufacturer modification, was it modified by the person you're buying it from (or person before him?)* The problem is that the DOJ says that you are allowed to change a gun so that it is NOT considered an assault weapon, but only if the gun was already registered as an assault weapon prior to the change to the fixed magazine.* If not, the person was in possession of an illegal unregistered assault weapon to begin with, and is not allowed to convert it once it is in the state.

if the gun was modified as fixed magazine gun from the manufacturer, it would be okay.

Let me know the answer to these details.* I think an earlier e-mail said something about it having a bullet button.* I'm not too familiar with it, but is it a gun where the owner added the bullet button, or was it that way from the manufacturer?

Let me know.

Doing this via iPhone so I hope it come out okay. Above a a quote from my ffl who has never don't a bullet button ar before. Are these reasonable qustions or is he way off base? If the quote didn't come through all the way basically he wants me to confirm who put the button in the rifle. He saus
said if done by builder it's ok but if done by the owner it's a no no.

[Dr Rockso]

There are many issues involved, particularly if this is coming from a private party.

First of all, we need to find out what the brand and model number is of the rifle.* There are some models prohibited regardless of whether or not it has the features to make it an assault rifle.

Assuming that the gun is NOT on the prohibited list (PC 12276(a)-(c)), it cannot be on the secondary assault weapon list (PC 12276(e)).* This list is on the DOJ website at:* http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/regs/chapter40.pdf.

If it is not on either of these lists, the second issue is how this guy acquired the gun.* Would this be considered an assault rifle if the magazine was not fixed (detachable)?* If so, how is the gun modified to make the magazine fixed?* Is it a manufacturer modification, was it modified by the person you're buying it from (or person before him?)* The problem is that the DOJ says that you are allowed to change a gun so that it is NOT considered an assault weapon, but only if the gun was already registered as an assault weapon prior to the change to the fixed magazine.* If not, the person was in possession of an illegal unregistered assault weapon to begin with, and is not allowed to convert it once it is in the state.

if the gun was modified as fixed magazine gun from the manufacturer, it would be okay.

Let me know the answer to these details.* I think an earlier e-mail said something about it having a bullet button.* I'm not too familiar with it, but is it a gun where the owner added the bullet button, or was it that way from the manufacturer?

Let me know.

Doing this via iPhone so I hope it come out okay. Above a a quote from my ffl who has never don't a bullet button ar before. Are these reasonable qustions or is he way off base? If the quote didn't come through all the way basically he wants me to confirm who put the button in the rifle. He saus
said if done by builder it's ok but if done by the owner it's a no no.

No manufacturers (at least that I'm aware of) add bullet buttons at the factory. They're an aftermarket item that is either added before shipping the complete gun to CA or before building it into a 'semiautomatic centerfire rifle' in CA (i.e. a stripped lower w/o a bullet button is perfectly legal, a built rifle without a bullet button is not).

Just follow the flow chart and it should be fairly clear

http://www.calguns.net/caawid/flowchart.pdf

[kellito]

Re: Bullet button question from my ffl

If it had the bb installed before putting any "features" on it in CA then it was never an "AW" in the first place.

[Ross]

When I bought my stripped lowers from Kaiser Defense (now JD Machine), they both came with bullet buttons. Since I needed them anyway, I didn't mind.

It would seem to me that if the seller out right removes the magazine catch/release, the AR no longer has the capability to retain a magazine, fixed, detachable, or otherwise.

From there, the seller ships the AR (without a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds) and the buyer explains to the FFL why it is not an AW (can't hold a magazine).

At earliest chance, buyer installs a BB.

All this provided the lower is an OLL.

[Ross]

No manufacturers (at least that I'm aware of) add bullet buttons at the factory. They're an aftermarket item that is either added before shipping the complete gun to CA or before building it into a 'semiautomatic centerfire rifle' in CA (i.e. a stripped lower w/o a bullet button is perfectly legal, a built rifle without a bullet button is not).

Just follow the flow chart and it should be fairly clear
http://www.calguns.net/caawid/flowchart.pdf

JD Machine does (or a least did).

[Lone_Gunman]

When I bought my stripped lowers from Kaiser Defense (now JD Machine), they both came with bullet buttons. Since I needed them anyway, I didn't mind.

It would seem to me that if the seller out right removes the magazine catch/release, the AR no longer has the capability to retain a magazine, fixed, detachable, or otherwise.

From there, the seller ships the AR (without a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds) and the buyer explains to the FFL why it is not an AW (can't hold a magazine).

At earliest chance, buyer installs a BB.

All this provided the lower is an OLL.

Do NOT do this. A LEO could hold a mag in by hand and you would be screwed. All you need to do is have the seller seperate the upper from the lower. The upper is sent to you, the lower to the FFL. The upper is not a firearm, just parts. The lower, even completed with a regular mag release, is neither centerfire nor a rifle. It is a lower receiver, if you were to put a rimfire upper on it you wouldn't even need a bullet button. Before putting the centerfire upper and the lower together install a bullet button on the lower. That's it. There is no constructive posession for AWs in CA so parts are parts.