Purchase procedure?

[Sakiri]

Aight, this is probably the dumbest thread in the place, but I'm curious.

Long story short, I've owned guns for quite some time over my years, don't currently have any. All prior ownership was long guns in another state and there wasn't a crap ton of paperwork as they were all gifts from the family. I haven't actually walked into a gun shop and purchased anything myself, much less here in California.

So I'm curious as to the procedure here. Tell the guy which one, fill out forms, wait for the background check to come back and pick up in 10 days if I don't get the denial?

Does everything have to be paid for up front, or just a deposit + fees work? What about if you put cash down and get denied?

Does the source of payment have to match the name/address on the paperwork? Like, if it's paid for with a credit card, does it have to be *my* card, or can it belong to the person coming in with me? BF is putting about a hundred bucks into the fund for this purchase, but most of it's my cash. He'd suggested putting it on his card and I just pay off the bill out of my checking account, but I have no bloody idea if that would even work. Neither of us are prohibited, and he owns several firearms already.

Just random(probably dumb) questions about an overly complicated process I didn't have to put up with in PA 20 years ago.

Thanks!

[SoCal Bob]

There is a reasonable chance that the gun shop will think it is a straw purchase and refuse to sell to you if you buy it and he pays for it. Most likely you will need to pay in full before they will DROS the firearm.

If it is a handgun then you will need to take the Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC) test to complete the transaction.

[Sakiri]

You answered the main point I was after, so great. I'll figure something out. He doesn't hold on to cash long. Pays for everything with credit, then soon as he has money he throws it on the balance. Its paid in full monthly, I just think he's paranoid about letting money sit in the bank account.

HSC isn't a problem either. Not exactly sure how a multiple choice test exactly verifies safety though. I mean heck, my 8 year old nephew could pass that thing and he's never held a gun in his life. Common sense is really that uncommon isn't it?

Thanks!

[CaliforniaLiberal]

Aight, this is probably the dumbest thread in the place, but I'm curious.

Long story short, I've owned guns for quite some time over my years, don't currently have any. All prior ownership was long guns in another state and there wasn't a crap ton of paperwork as they were all gifts from the family. I haven't actually walked into a gun shop and purchased anything myself, much less here in California.

So I'm curious as to the procedure here. Tell the guy which one, fill out forms, wait for the background check to come back and pick up in 10 days if I don't get the denial?

Yep, that's about it. If you're buying a handgun ya gotta have a Handgun Safety Certificate, second proof of residency (like a car registration with your current name and address) and perform the Safe Handling Demonstration to pick it up.

Does everything have to be paid for up front, or just a deposit + fees work? What about if you put cash down and get denied?

Almost all dealers want money up front. You may find someone willing to do a deposit. Most dealers will charge a 10% or 20% "Restocking Fee" if you are denied.

Does the source of payment have to match the name/address on the paperwork? Like, if it's paid for with a credit card, does it have to be *my* card, or can it belong to the person coming in with me? BF is putting about a hundred bucks into the fund for this purchase, but most of it's my cash. He'd suggested putting it on his card and I just pay off the bill out of my checking account, but I have no bloody idea if that would even work. Neither of us are prohibited, and he owns several firearms already.

ATF and DOJ look at Gun Shops pretty hard on a regular basis. Some Gun Shops are more paranoid than others about the possibility of a Straw Purchase because they fear getting shut down and losing their license. Unless the Shop knows you and is unusually cool it's best to keep your sources of payment private. Set it up to just walk in, pick your gun and pay for it without involving any other names. Call the shop anonymously ahead of time and ask their store policy. Some shops have their own rules that don't strictly follow the law, you have to do it their way or find another shop.

Just random(probably dumb) questions about an overly complicated process I didn't have to put up with in PA 20 years ago.

Not dumb at all. It's the complex, illogical and unreasonable gun laws that are dumb.

Thanks!

Find a polite and friendly Gun Shop that's not swamped with customers caught up in the present Second Great Obama Gun and Ammo Buying Frenzy and let them know that you're new to CA gun law and ask them to walk you through the process.

If you didn't already know there have been calls for new Gun Control legislation at the State and Federal level in the last few days. Many thousands of gun owners and new gun owners have been swarming Gun Shops the last few days convinced that guns are about to be outlawed and better buy now before it's too late. It's been really crazy, even worse than four years ago.

You might want to save some stress and wait a month or so to start shopping for a gun.

There is a lot to learn about California Gun Law. It's a lot like 'Alice in Wonderland.'

The story of the California Bullet Button alone is enough to blow your mind. That started right here on CalGuns by the way, we're very proud of it.



Also, check out the CGF Wiki button at the top of the page.

http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/Buying_and_selling_firearms_in_California

http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/index.php/Main_Page

http://oag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs

http://oag.ca.gov/firearms

http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/pdfs/firearms/forms/hscsg.pdf?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gun_Laws (as always wikipedia is 95% accurate, don't use it as your sole source of info)

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showpost.php?p=9993961&postcount=10