At 19 years old I finally legally own a handgun in CA

[SocalShooterX]

How I did it?

In case it hasn't been said to death...


I did an intrafamiliar transfer from my father to myself.

I found the thread on calguns with all the information and there's a one page DOJ paper you have to fill it with all the details. It's really easy, write them a $19 check and mail it in, wait about 3ish months. and a paper will show up saying that your background check has cleared and the handgun is legally in your name!

The hardest part hands down is getting our hsc.

which there is no place on the actual form to put, but per the law you need to have an HSC to own a handgun. The hard part was finding a damn gun store to give me an hsc. Turners wouldn't do it, gun world wouldn't do it, after a lot of back and forth and sending the links over the nice young guys at guns direct (major props) let me take my test passing %100 I walked out with my HSC.
recently in the mail i received my paper alerting me that the transfer was complete.

So it's not just some theoretic loophole. I've done it and it does work.

you have to be 21 to buy handgun ammo. which puts you in another weird problem. but I'm sure ya'll bright youth can figure it out


Hope you over 18 under 21 guys like me get inspired to get your own handgun!

[ke6guj]

good for you.

pops is also a CA resident?

[G1500]

Glad to hear it works.

It is strange it was so hard for you to get a HSC. I don't recall an age limit to taking a test.

[SocalShooterX]

Yep, still live at home with the folks in Socal.

@g1500, you have to be 18 to get an HSC. but most gun shops think because you can't buy a handgun at 21 then you can't get an HSC, or there would be no point.

it's a weird system.

but play by the rules and occasionally you win one.

[FNH5-7]

Nice.

I got my first handgun at age 19 as well.

We are among the lucky ones.

[SocalShooterX]

Nice.

I got my first handgun at age 19 as well.

We are among the lucky ones.

very much so!

[ke6guj]

Yep, still live at home with the folks in Socal.

good. just making sure that the intrafamily form was being used properly, and not as a way to do an interstate transfer.

@g1500, you have to be 18 to get an HSC. but most gun shops think because you can't buy a handgun at 21 then you can't get an HSC, or there would be no point.

it's a weird system.

but play by the rules and occasionally you win one.

yup. And even CADOJ in the past has not realized that an 18-20 year-old can get an HSC. SEems that an 18-20 year-old CG'er did what you did and CADOJ called him up and told him that since he didn't have an HSC that they couldn't process the form. The CG'er had his HSC and CADOJ assumed that he didn't have one, that you had to be 21 to get one.

[pepsi2451]

Congrats, So what did you get? I also got my first handgun at 19.

yup. And even CADOJ in the past has not realized that an 18-20 year-old can get an HSC. SEems that an 18-20 year-old CG'er did what you did and CADOJ called him up and told him that since he didn't have an HSC that they couldn't process the form. The CG'er had his HSC and CADOJ assumed that he didn't have one, that you had to be 21 to get one.

The DOJ was actually helpful when I called and asked about it. He actually reminded me that I needed a HSC. That was about 6 years ago though.

[SocalShooterX]

I got a glock 17, I've "had" it for a couple years and been shooting it for a while.

[Bigbird19]

did you have to get your HSC before you submitted the DOJ registration?

[drifter001]

Very nice. Congrats!

[SocalShooterX]

did you have to get your HSC before you submitted the DOJ registration?

By law you have to, but there's no where on the paper that requires your hsc number and i've never had to use it or even get it out since I got it.

[Joe]

I did the same thing to acquire my glock 19 when I was 19.

[luckystrike]

Awesome, I remember going into the gunstore the day I graduated HS with a parent. 10 days later we picked it up and were going to send in the intrafamily paperwork when the guy at ontarget range said "no there is no way he can have a handgun at 18, you both will be committing a felony if you try that". I LOLed 3 weeks later when I got the letter in the mail from doj saying it now belongs to me...silly ontarget and their FUD

[foxtrotuniformlima]

A big thumbs up !