How to Buy a Gun Online in California (2026 Guide)
Last updated 24 September 2026.
You can buy a gun online in California. The gun just cannot come to your house. It ships to a licensed dealer in California, you do the paperwork there, you wait ten days, and you collect it. That is the whole shape of it. The detail below is what trips people up: the roster, the fees, the age rules, and the things we are not allowed to send you at all.
The short version: what happens when you order
Six steps, in order:
- You pick a California-legal model from our catalog and pay at secure checkout.
- You give us your dealer. Any California FFL that does transfers works. If you do not have one yet, pick one before you order and ask what they charge.
- We ship to that dealer, not to you. Transit is usually three to seven business days.
- You go in with your ID and your Firearm Safety Certificate. The dealer runs the DROS submission. That starts the clock.
- Ten days pass.
- On day eleven you go back, the dealer does a safe-handling demonstration, and you walk out with it.
Total time from order to in-hand is normally two to three weeks. Nothing you do speeds the ten days up.
What California lets you buy right now
These are the rules that decide whether an order will go through at all.
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Handgun roster | A dealer can only sell you a handgun model the state has certified. The roster changes over time as models are added and as makers drop models they no longer certify. If a pistol is not on the list, no California dealer can transfer it to you as a new sale. |
| Waiting period | Ten days on every firearm, handgun or long gun. It applies whether this is your first gun or your twentieth. |
| Purchase limit | Three firearms in any rolling 30-day period, counting handguns, semi-automatic centerfire rifles, frames and receivers together. This replaced the old one-per-30 rule on 1 April 2026. |
| Age | 21 for a handgun and for a semi-automatic centerfire rifle. 18 to 20 year olds can buy other long guns if they hold a valid, unexpired California hunting license. |
| Firearm Safety Certificate | Required for every purchase. $25, a 30-question test at the dealer, 23 correct to pass, good for five years. |
| Safety device | You leave the shop with a state-approved lock, lockbox or safe. Buy one from the dealer, or ask the dealer what proof of an approved device or safe they accept. |
| Magazines | Nothing over ten rounds. We ship ten-round magazines into California and nothing larger. |
| Ammunition | Cannot be delivered to your door. It goes to a licensed ammunition vendor and you collect it in person after an eligibility check. |
The 10-day wait, explained
The wait is ten consecutive 24-hour periods, counted from the moment the dealer submits your DROS. Calendar days, not business days. Weekends and holidays count. You can collect any time from 12:01 a.m. on day eleven.
Two things people get wrong. First, the clock starts at the dealer, not when you place the order online. If the gun takes five days to reach the shop and you visit on day six, your ten days start on day six. Second, there is a deadline on the other end. If you do not collect within 30 days of the DROS submission, the dealer has to cancel the sale. You then start over: new DROS and fee, new ten days, and most shops add a cancellation and storage charge. Put day eleven in your phone.
DROS, the fee, and what the dealer adds on top
Budget for the following charges at the counter, on top of the price you paid us.
| Charge | Amount | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| DROS fee | Set by the state and charged per transaction; ask your dealer for the current amount | The state |
| Dealer transfer fee | $50 to $100 per firearm, set by the shop | The dealer |
| Safety device verification | Set by the dealer, if they charge one | The dealer |
| Firearm Safety Certificate | $25, once every five years | Dealer and state |
| Sales tax | Your local rate, on the purchase price | The state |
Transfer fees vary a lot between shops in the same city. Ring two or three before you commit.
What to bring to the dealer
- Your California driver's license or state ID with your current address on it.
- If it is not a REAL ID, a second document proving California residency: a utility bill, vehicle registration, property deed or a current lease.
- Your Firearm Safety Certificate, or time to sit the test that day.
- A card for the fees and tax.
- A state-approved lock or lockbox, or money to buy one there.
An out-of-state ID does not work. A PO box address does not work. If you have moved recently and your license still shows the old address, sort that out before you go in.
Long guns and handguns: the rules are different
The roster only covers handguns. Rifles and shotguns are not on any certified list, so the question is features rather than model approval. A semi-automatic centerfire rifle has to be featureless or have a fixed magazine to be legal here, and the magazine still cannot hold more than ten rounds. Bolt actions, lever actions, pump shotguns and break actions have none of these problems and are the easiest things in the catalog to get into California.
On the handgun side, browse our handgun listings and assume anything new has to be a roster model. Several major makers keep some models certified, but often only specific configurations. The finish, the sights or the barrel length can be the difference between a listed and an unlisted variant of the same pistol.
Three firearms per 30 days: how the limit counts
Since 1 April 2026 you can apply to buy up to three firearms in any 30-day window. It is cumulative and it looks backwards: the dealer cannot deliver if your application would push you past three in the preceding 30 days. Handguns, semi-auto centerfire rifles, and stripped frames and receivers all count toward the same three.
Practical effect: you can now buy a handgun and a rifle in the same visit, which the old one-per-30 rule blocked. A few exemptions exist; ask your dealer or check the California DOJ for the current list.
What we can and cannot ship into California
| What you want | Can we ship it? | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Roster-listed handguns | Yes | Your California dealer |
| Non-roster handguns | No | — |
| Bolt, lever, pump and break-action long guns | Yes | Your California dealer |
| Featureless or fixed-magazine semi-auto rifles | Yes | Your California dealer |
| Semi-auto rifles with prohibited features | No | — |
| Magazines, ten rounds or fewer | Yes | Your address |
| Magazines over ten rounds | No | — |
| Ammunition | Not to your door | A licensed ammunition vendor in California |
| Optics, mounts, holsters, cases, cleaning gear | Yes | Your address |
Ammunition is worth a line of its own. California requires the sale to finish in person at a licensed ammunition vendor, with an eligibility check each time. If your guns are already recorded in the state system the check is a few dollars and takes a minute; if they are not, it costs more and can take longer. Buy it locally unless you have a vendor lined up to receive a shipment.
Moving to California with guns you already own
You keep them. Handguns you already own do not have to be on the roster, and there is no ten-day wait on property you brought with you. You do have to tell the state: file a New Resident Report of Firearm Ownership with the Department of Justice within 60 days of arriving.
Two things to sort out before the truck arrives. Magazines over ten rounds are a problem, and any rifle that meets the state's assault weapon definition is a problem. Deal with both before you cross the line, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ten days start when I order or at the dealer?
At the dealer, when they submit the DROS. Shipping time is on top of it.
Can I buy two guns at once?
Yes. Up to three firearms in any 30-day period since 1 April 2026. Each firearm still has its own ten-day wait, and the waits run at the same time. Ask your dealer how the DROS fee applies when several firearms are transferred together.
Is a non-roster handgun ever legal for me to own?
Owning one is not the issue; buying a new one from a dealer is. Non-roster handguns can still come to you through a private party transfer between California residents, as a curio or relic, or as property you brought with you when you moved here. We cannot ship one to a dealer as a new sale.
Can you ship ammunition to my house?
No. It has to go to a licensed ammunition vendor in California and you collect it in person.
What is an FSC and do I need one?
The Firearm Safety Certificate. Yes, for every purchase. It is a 30-question multiple-choice test you sit at the dealer, $25, and it lasts five years.
What if my dealer is out of state?
That does not work for a California resident buying a firearm. The transfer has to happen at a California dealer, where the roster, the wait and the DROS all apply.
Does a concealed carry license skip the wait?
No. A CCW does not exempt you from the ten days. Very few people are exempt, and it is mostly on-duty law enforcement.
What happens on day eleven if I do not collect?
Nothing immediately. You have until day 30 from the DROS submission. Miss that and the dealer cancels the sale, and you repeat the process and the fees from the start.
More on state-specific rules is in our California gun laws guide, and our shipping page covers transit times and how to send us your dealer's license. Fees and roster listings change; check anything money depends on before you order.
