AW Registration Guide **3/18/2021 update: Registration may re-open soon**

[DCH]

Does this mean I can buy another complete lower w BB and add it to my RAWs and register it with CA DOJ before this period ends again?

Dch

[CandG]

Does this mean I can buy another complete lower w BB and add it to my RAWs and register it with CA DOJ before this period ends again?

Dch

Absolutely no. Registration will not be available for anything acquired after 12/31/2016. Attempting to register a lower acquired after 2016 would almost certainly result in a visit from your friendly neighborhood DOJ agents.

The fact that this question has been asked at least once now, makes me very concerned... I've updated my signature to try to hopefully keep people out of jail.

[Maltese Falcon]

I applied for six the first time. Four are in.

EDIT: Two of the four are FMBUS with DOJ assigned SNs.

Other two I never heard back. Do I re-start the original submission?

.

[CandG]

I applied for six the first time. Four are in.

EDIT: Two of the four are FMBUS with DOJ assigned SNs.

Other two I never heard back. Do I re-start the original submission?

.

If the registrations were submitted successfully (which it sounds like they were), then no, I don't think you should re-submit them. I would try to request a registration letter from DOJ (instructions are in the Guide on page 1 of this thread) to see if maybe they did successfully get registered, and you just didn't get the confirmation for whatever reason. It's also possible they just haven't gotten to them yet, I know there are still a few people waiting for theirs.

Edit: Actually I just checked, and it doesn't look like I included instructions for requesting a duplicate registration letter in the Guide. All I know is that they charge a fee of $5 for it, per the regulations. But I'm unsure of the process. Might be worth a phone call to ask.

[slicksetter]

What about bullet button ar's that are legally owned by a minor??? Legal transfer and notarized prior to 2014? Are their going to be any exemption this time?

[bigbully]

What about bullet button ar's that are legally owned by a minor??? Legal transfer and notarized prior to 2014? Are their going to be any exemption this time?

This is only for people who actually started the registration process and were unable to complete the process before the deadline. That means currently incomplete registrations only. No new registrations period. Any attempt to try new registrations could result in charges.

[slicksetter]

Understand, everything was disassembled to create non scarry rifles, The issue is if I hadn't, My children would have became felons overnight for their legally owned rifles.

[CandG]

What about bullet button ar's that are legally owned by a minor??? Legal transfer and notarized prior to 2014? Are their going to be any exemption this time?

If the minor didn't turn 18 before 7/1/2018, then they were not eligible to register during the 2017-2018 registration window, thus they will not be eligible to register during this upcoming window.

[Dirtlaw]

The attorney's got a large fee award. But was the mere re-opening of the registration a huge victory? I mean, unless you weren't paying attention you would have made the decision back then one way or the other. So unless you weren't paying attention or if you had a change of heart, I'm not excited.

[BAJ475]

OK, does this give me the opportunity to de-register my RBBAWs given that I have removed their BBs?

[CandG]

OK, does this give me the opportunity to de-register my RBBAWs given that I have removed their BBs?

De-registration has always been available, see excerpt from the OP of this thread below. This news doesn't change de-registration availability, nor the process for doing so. (My opinion is, unless you are selling the weapon, it isn't worthwhile to de-register in most cases. It's a hassle and it's unlikely that it would take you off DOJ's naughty list anyways. It would, however, remove the AW storage, transfer, and transport restrictions, which is particularly important with weapons for which you can't easily just swap out the receiver; but for AR's, it's usually better to just leave the registration alone, swap the receiver for one that isn't RAW, and store the RAW receiver somewhere for a rainy day.)

Voluntary De-Registration

Before you consider formal de-registration, consider that you can instead choose to modify or reconfigure the firearm to no longer meet the definition of an Assault Weapon, and then replace the serialized RAW receiver with a different (not RAW) receiver, effectively making the weapon no longer a RAW. Then you may retain the RAW receiver in case you ever decide to build it into a functional RAW again in the future.

If you still decide to formally de-register a RAW, the procedure is outlined below. Note that there is no such thing as mandatory de-registration. Under no circumstances are you required to contact DOJ about your RAW once it's registered. Even if you sell it, move, etc. However, in certain scenarios (like if you sold it), you may want to de-register it to disassociate your name from that weapon.

1. Registered Assault Weapons may be de-registered under the following circumstances:
   • Weapons that are no longer possessed, after completing a BOF Form 4546 ("Notice of No Longer in Possession")
   • Weapons that have been modified or reconfigured to no longer meet the definition of an Assault Weapon
2. Send a letter to DOJ that includes the following:
   • Full name, phone number, and current address; make, model, and serial number; and the DOJ Assault Weapon Registration Number (if known - if not known, then the letter must also be notarized).
   • If no longer in possession, must include a proof of sale or transfer.
   • If still in possession, must include 1 or more photos showing the weapon in a non-AW configuration.
   • Signature and date
3. Mail the letter to: Bureau of Firearms, P.O. Box 820200, Sacramento, CA 94203-0200
4. If still in possession, DOJ may request additional photos, information, or even an inspection (where or by whom, we don't know)
5. After determining eligibility for de-registration, DOJ will delete the Assault Weapon Registration, and if you are still in possession they will convert the record to a standard "Firearm Ownership Report", or if you are no longer in possession they will convert it to a "No Longer in Possession" entry in AFS.
6. Confirmation of de-registration and updated firearm ownership information will be mailed to your address.
7. You may never re-register the weapon as an Assault Weapon, even if the registration period is still open! Attempting to do so would be admitting that you took a non-AW and made it back into an AW after it became illegal to do so on 1/1/2017.

[Caleb1911]

I know I am posting this to an old thread, but there are a lot of loose ends here that are not tied up that I believe need further discussion. I am interested particularly in how this will impact the voluntary registration of self-built and self-serial numbered guns. A key component of the failed registration scheme was to allow people to declare guns that were self-build and self-serial numbered. These guns were not AWs but rather were pistols and featureless rifles. The stated goal of the DOJ was to get all self-built weapons registered and they offered voluntary registration as a means of legalizing home built guns.

What about about people that attempted voluntary registration on non-AW home builts only to have the CFARS system fail on them? Shouldn't this re-opening include a re-opening of the voluntary registration side of things since the system failed to deliver on this aspect of implementing the law?

Why is there no mention of this vital aspect of the failed registration scheme in the settlement and in our discussions? Did our lawyers not understand the full scope of the system failure here and settle for half a lunch?

[ugimports]

I know I am posting this to an old thread, but there are a lot of loose ends here that are not tied up that I believe need further discussion. I am interested particularly in how this will impact the voluntary registration of self-built and self-serial numbered guns. A key component of the failed registration scheme was to allow people to declare guns that were self-build and self-serial numbered. These guns were not AWs but rather were pistols and featureless rifles. The stated goal of the DOJ was to get all self-built weapons registered and they offered voluntary registration as a means of legalizing home built guns.

What about about people that attempted voluntary registration on non-AW home builts only to have the CFARS system fail on them? Shouldn't this re-opening include a re-opening of the voluntary registration side of things since the system failed to deliver on this aspect of implementing the law?

Why is there no mention of this vital aspect of the failed registration scheme in the settlement and in our discussions? Did our lawyers not understand the full scope of the system failure here and settle for half a lunch?

The paper option was available for voluntary registration (still is) so I'm not sure how the website not working would have impacted your ability to volreg any firearm before the deadline.

Link here: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/a...rms/volreg.pdf

[Caleb1911]

Thank you for your response, UG.
My recollection is that you had until the deadline to VolReg any self-built with your own serial number. If you missed this, you had to apply for one of the DOJ serial numbers and the gun would be treated as current self-builts which are basically like assault weapons with no chance to sell it at any point or transfer it upon your death. My understanding is that we had to use the CFARS system to do this particular VolReg. I do not recall a paper option being allowed for this aspect of the scheme.

Are you saying that a self-built non-assault weapon featureless rifle can be simply declared at this point? I think that horse has left the barn according to the DOJ.

I read a lot of the posts here on CalGuns and read the DOJ stuff. A lot of people were of the opinion that the VolReg had to be done on CFARS. Maybe I should chalk up my ignorance to the arcane and highly confusing way in which all of these regs were promulgated and foisted upon us.

[@miller]

80% rifles can stil be built in CA compliant featureless configuration. You have to applly for serial # ahead of time and then send photos of the completed receiver or rifle. The only sane reason to do this if you are build a clone of something and want custom receiver markings, otherwise it is a PITA waste of time. I did it to use a H&R marked receiver for an M16A1 clone build.