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California

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California

This jurisdictional hub aggregates FRC holdings related to California. It supports research on the state’s firearms history, technology, law, policy, and culture from the Spanish and Mexican periods through statehood to the present.

  • Legal sources: statutes and session laws, administrative code, attorney general opinions, appellate decisions, and select municipal ordinances.
  • Historical materials: newspapers, photographs, maps, catalogs, defense and aerospace industry records, law-enforcement and sporting archives, and oral histories tied to California people and places.
  • Research outputs: technical reports, academic studies, training manuals, and curated datasets relevant to the state.

Cite the Firearms Research Center and the item’s handle/DOI when using materials. Rights and licensing vary by item.

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Jurisdiction: search.filters.coverage.CaliforniaStart date: 1861

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Now showing 1 - 16 of 16
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    Item type:Item,
    1931 Cal. Stat. 2316-17
    (1931)
    Ch. 1098, § 1: Prohibited noncitizens, felony convicts, or drug addicts from owning, possessing, or having under their custody or control any pistol, revolver, or concealable firearm; violators subject to fine or imprisonment.
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    1933 Cal. Stat. 1169-71
    (1933)
    Prohibited a person, firm, or corporation from selling, possessing or transporting a machine gun. Punishable by imprisonment up to 3 years and/or fine up to $5,000. Also expanded machine gun regulations by prohibiting most sales and possession, broadly defining machine guns, authorizing permit revocation, licensing dealers, and requiring detailed sales records and inspections.
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    1923 Cal. Stat. 696-700
    (1923)
    Prohibited committing a felony while armed with weapons named in §1 or while armed with any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person, without having a license to carry. Violators shall be punishable by felony, with imprisonment in a state prison for not less than five nor more than ten years.
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    1933 Cal. Stat. 925
    (1933)
    Ch. 337, § 1: Required every person, firm, or corporation who knowingly posses or transports any form of shell, cartridge, or bomb containing or emitting tear gas is guilty of a public offense. Violators sentenced to state prison not exceeding two year or by fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, or both.
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    1927 Cal. Stat. 938
    (1927)
    ch. 552, §§ 1-2: Prohibited a person, firm, or corporation possessing a machine gun. Punishable by imprisonment up to 3 years and/or fine up to $5,000.
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    1931 Cal. Stat. 2317
    (1931)
    Ch. 1098, § 9. Required every person in the business of selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed, shall enter the time of sale, date of sale, name of the salesman, place it was sold, the make, model, manufacturer's number, caliber, and other marks of identification on such pistol, revolver, or other firearm.
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    1878 Cal Stat. 117
    (1878)
    An Act Amending Section Four Hundred and Fifteen of the Penal Code, in Relation to Crimes Against The Public Peace, ch. CCXCIX, § 1: Prohibited discharge of any gun or pistol in an unincorporated town. Violators fined not exceeding two hundred dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding ninety days, or both fine and imprisonment.
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    Theodore H. Hittell, The General Laws of the State of California, from 1850 to 1864, Inclusive 261 (1872)
    (1864)
    § 1585 [§1]: Prohibited the concealed carrying of any dirk, pistol, sword cane, slungshot, or "other dangerous or deadly weapon." Exempted any peace officer or officer acting under the law of the United States. Punishable by imprisonment for 30-90 days or fine of $20-200.
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    1895 Cal. Stat. 258
    (1901)
    § 179: Prohibited the use of a shotgun of larger caliber known as a ten gauge. Violators guilty of a misdemeanor. Possession in the field, on marsh, bay, lake, or stream shall be prima facie evidence of its illegal use.
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    Nathan Newmark, The Political Code of the State of California: As Enacted in 1872, and Amended in 1889: With Notes and References to the Decisions of the Supreme Court 963 (1889)
    (1889)
    § 153: Any Municipal Council shall provide, by ordinance, all funds receive for licenses of the storage, manufacture, sale of gunpowder, blasting powder, gun cotton, fireworks, nitro-glycerine, dualine, or any explosive oils or compounds, or as a municipal tax all the same. These funds will be collected into a "Fireman's Charitable Fund."
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    1875 Cal. Stat. 627-28
    (1875)
    Allowed the city of San Jose to regulate the storage of gunpowder and other combustibles and explosive substances within the incorporated limits of the city.
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    1895 Cal. Stat. 183
    (1895)
    Amendments to the Civil Code, Chapter 168-An Act to Amend Several Sections Relating to the National Guard of California, § 1942: Prohibited militias to wear colors not associated with the United States. Prohibited any unorganized militia other than the regular organized National Guard in the state of California without a license from the governor. Violators guilty of a misdemeanor subject to arrest and punishment therefor.
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    1917 Cal. Stat. 221-25
    (1917)
    Prohibited the concealed carry of any pistol, revolver, or other firearm without a license. Violators guilty of a misdemeanor. Also declared the unlawful carry or possession of any of the above items as a nuisance, to be confiscated by the police and surrendered to a judge. Confiscated weapons are to be destroyed at the end of the year.
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    1863 Cal. Stat. 748
    (1863)
    Prohibited the concealed carry of any dirk, pistol, sword in a cane, slung-shot, or other dangerous or deadly weapon, concealed. Violators guilty of a misdemeanor, imprisoned not less than thirty nor more than ninety days, or fined not less than twenty nor more than two hundred dollars.
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    1864 Cal. Stat. 115
    (1864)
    Prohibited the concealed carrying of any dirk, pistol, sword cane, slungshot, or "other dangerous or deadly weapon." Exempted any peace officer or officer acting under the law of the United States. Punishable by imprisonment for 30-90 days or fine of $20-200.
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    William H. R. Wood, Digest of the Laws of California 334 (1861)
    (1861)
    Art. 1904: Prohibited the display of any dirk, dirk-knife, Bowie knife, sword, sword cane, pistol, gun, or other deadly weapon in a threatening manner, or use of such weapon in a fight. Punishable by a fine of $100-500 or imprisonment for 1-6 months.