Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Machine Guns & Automatic Firearms in California.’ Hardware & Ammunition. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 19 November
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]
Machine Guns and Automatic Firearms in California
California prohibits any person from possessing, knowingly transporting, selling, offering to sell, or knowingly manufacturing a machine gun without a permit. California also prohibits intentionally converting a firearm into a machine gun. The definition of "machine gun" in California law is identical to the definition in federal law. The term also includes any weapon deemed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as readily convertible to a machine gun.
The California Department of Justice ("DOJ") may issue permits for the possession, manufacture, or transportation of machine guns only upon a satisfactory showing of good cause. The permit must be kept where the firearms are kept, and the permit must be open to inspection by law enforcement. DOJ may also grant licenses effective for not more than one year for the sale of machine guns to persons authorized to receive them at the place specified in the license.
Any illegally possessed machine gun must be surrendered to DOJ, and DOJ will destroy it, unless a judge or district attorney files a statement with DOJ stating that its preservation is necessary to serve the ends of justice…
Last accessed at:
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/machine-guns-automatic-firearms-in-california/