Buying a firearm while going to college

[Old JR]

Hello all,

Please excuse me if I've posted in the wrong forum, or if this has already been answered somewhere else but I seem to be in a unique situation (sorta).
I have been going to college here in Los Angeles county for about 6 months and I have been thinking about purchasing a S&W 686 .357 and possibly a pump action shotgun (not sure what i want in that dept. yet). Although i have been going to college here for a full semester, I still have a KY drivers license. Ive been told i cant purchase ANY firearms in the state of CA without a CA DL. I've also been told that I can purchase a shotgun / long gun in CA with my KY DL, but not a handgun.

My question is this: What kind of firearms can i buy in CA with my KY DL? Is there a way to buy them in a ffl here, have it shipped to KY, then Xfer it CA where I'm currently living?

or would the whole thing be to much of a pain. should i just get a CA DL? (the insurance rates in KY for me are much cheaper than out here, which is the whole reason i still have my KY license). Or should i just get out of California while i still can??

any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Rivers]

Obviously, RUN WHILE YOU CAN!!!

[Packy14]

Buy some off list guns in KY, bring them to Cali. Confer Cali-ness to them, Enjoy.

[Divernhunter]

I think if you just get a Ca ID card you can buy here.

[blakdawg]

I think the important question is whether or not you've got a safe place to store firearms here in CA. If you're living in a dorm, chances are they've got a bunch of fussy rules that say you're not even allowed to have a picture of a gun, much less an actual firearm; and chances are that there are tens if not hundreds of people who have keys to your dorm room.

If you're in an off-campus apartment, you may have roommates, and you've got to take their behavior into account - whether or not they're going to have access to your guns, or will freak out if you've got guns, or will run their mouths around other people who will want to steal or misuse them.

I was interested in guns while I was in school but it just didn't work out in terms of time and money and the practical side of it to own any. It's a lot easier when you've got more control over your living situation and don't have to live on a student budget.

If you want/need to have a gun in CA, I think you've got two choices: become a CA resident, get CA ID/DL, and buy a gun in CA; or maintain KY residency, buy your guns in KY, and bring them to CA while you're here temporarily.

[MM OneSix]

I'm in school from out of state as well. I retain my home-state DL, but acquired a CA ID card. It's a simple and straight forward process. Call the DMV and set an appointment, make sure you have the proper paperwork, and you'll have it in no time.

I've bought several firearms here with mine, no trouble. So long as you can prove an address you'll be fine.

Good luck.

P.S. CA law states that students don't have to declare residency in CA, but you can still acquire an ID with no trouble.

[Spetsnazos]

If Guns are your whole life and you pretty much can't enjoy anything else except guns then ya move out of state, but otherwise this is a GREAT state to live. We have AWESOME weather, GREAT scenery, GREAT Outdoors for hiking, biking, swimming, etc. We have some of the TOP universities in the country. Business is booming here and we are one of the LARGEST economies in the WHOLE world.

But to answer your original question, I am not 100% but I think you can get a Cali ID and be good to go? Unless they define residency like they do for school tuition...

[Old JR]

thank you all for the speedy replies.

I Figure i should mention that i do live off campus in a house with my girlfriend of 7 years.
My dad gave me a small gun safe when I moved out and told me "now you have to go buy your own damn guns!". although I didn't even think about the cost difference of guns in different states. Is there that much of a difference? Also, if i were to go back home and buy a revolver, would i have to have a CA id to be able to transfer it out here?
is there a statute that allows us out of towners to bring some guns in just for a few years?? you'll have to forgive my ignorance of the ca laws... as I only ever relied on my father and buds gun shop for information on what i can and cant have (Which in KY the rules are basically "whatever you want and can afford")

any further information on gun prices and the like would be greatly appreciated!

[CHS]

Since you're in College here, you qualify for CA residence. No need to get a CA DL, just get a CA ID. That will allow you to purchase firearms while here. If you get an HSC as well, you can also buy handguns.

[PartTimeNinja]

Although there tends to be price differences across states due to restrictions, demand, etc., it's probably pretty minimal due to online sources likes budsgunshop or the like. You'll obviously just have to pay transfer fees and dros fees. If you're getting handguns, just know if it's on the list. If you're into long guns, know what qualifies as an assault rifle.