California · Penal Code

PEN §27530: (a) No person shall sell or otherwise transfer ownership of a firearm that is not imprinted with a serial number imprinted by a federal licensee authorized to serialize firearms.

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(a) No person shall sell or otherwise transfer ownership of a firearm that is not imprinted with a serial number imprinted by a federal licensee authorized to serialize firearms. (b) This section does not apply to any of the following: (1) A firearm made or assembled prior to December 16, 1968, that is not a handgun. (2) A firearm that is a curio or relic, or an antique firearm, as those terms are defined in Section 479.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (3) A firearm that has been entered, before July 1, 2018, into the centralized registry set forth in Section 11106, as being owned by a specific individual or entity, if that firearm has assigned to it a distinguishing number or mark of identification because the department accepted entry of that firearm into the centralized registry. (4) The transfer, surrender, or sale of a firearm to a law enforcement agency. (5) The sale or transfer of ownership of a firearm to a federally licensed firearms manufacturer or importer, or any other federal licensee authorized to serialize firearms.

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