Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Safe Storage in California.’ Child & Consumer Safety. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 24 April
Relevant contents
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]
Firearm and Ammunition Storage Regulations in California
All firearms sold or transferred in California by a licensed dealer, including private transfers conducted by a dealer, must include a "firearms safety device" listed on the roster of approved firearms safety devices maintained by the California Department of Justice ("DOJ").
The firearms safety device must be listed on the roster as appropriate for that firearm. (A "firearms safety device" is a device, other than a gun safe, that locks and is designed to prevent children and unauthorized users from firing a firearm. The device may be installed on a firearm, be incorporated into the design of the firearm, or prevent access to the firearm.)
California prohibits anyone, including a licensed dealer, from keeping or exposing for commercial sale, offering, or selling any "firearms safety device" that is not listed on the DOJ roster, or that does not comply with the firearm safety device standards set by DOJ. In addition, no person may distribute, as part of an organized firearm safety program, any firearm safety device that is not listed on the DOJ roster or that does not comply with DOJ's firearm safety device standards. The sale or transfer of a firearm does not need to include a firearms safety device, however, if the purchaser or transferee either:
1) provides proof that he or she has purchased or owns a gun safe that meets the gun safe standards set by DOJ; or
2) presents an approved firearms safety device to the dealer that the purchaser or transferee purchased no more than 30 days prior with the firearm.
DOJ's roster of approved firearms safety devices may only include firearms safety devices that have been tested by a DOJ-certified testing laboratory and that meet DOJ's firearms safety device standards. DOJ may randomly retest roster samples to ensure compliance with the requirements of state law.
Dealers selling long gun safes (locking containers designed to fully contain and secure a rifle or a shotgun that are not listed on DOJ's roster of approved firearms safety devices) that do not meet DOJ's standards for gun safes must conspicuously post or display the following warning, in both English and Spanish, on the gun safe's packaging or with any materials that accompany the safe, and on a label affixed to the front of the gun safe:
WARNING: This gun safe does not meet the safety standards for gun safes specified in California Penal Code Section 12088.2. It does not satisfy the requirements of Penal Code Section 12088.1, which mandates that all firearms sold in California be accompanied by a firearms safety device or proof of ownership, as required by law, of a gun safe that meets the Section 12088.2 minimum safety standards developed by the California Attorney General.
California law prohibits any person from keeping, offering or exposing for commercial sale, or commercially selling a long gun safe that does not comply with DOJ's standards for gun safes, unless the long gun safe is labeled in this manner.
In addition, long gun safes must have a locking system consisting of either a mechanical combination lock or an electronic combination lock that has at least 1,000 possible unique combinations consisting of a minimum of three numbers, letters or symbols per combination.
DOJ may order the recall and replacement of any gun safe or firearms safety device model that does not conform with its safety standards, or order that the gun safe or firearm safety device model be brought into conformity with those requirements…