California Announces New Dates for ‘Assault Weapon’ Registration (Again)

2nd Amendment – R2KBA Authors Jordan Michaels This Week
California Announces New Dates for 'Assault Weapon' Registration (Again)
Bullet button registration is opening for 90 days next year.

The California Department of Justice announced this week that registration for “assault weapons” will re-open on Jan. 13, 2022, and remain open for 90 days until April 12, 2022.

A federal court ruled that the state must re-open the registration process after the original launch was plagued by bad information and technical difficulties. The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) leveled a lawsuit against California after the fiasco, and the court agreed that the state had dropped the ball.

“Law-abiding California gun owners were not responsible for the failure of the registration process, and we’re delighted with the outcome of our lawsuit to set things right,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “When a process that should be user-friendly becomes a fiasco, it’s the government’s responsibility to correct the problem and the affected citizens should not suffer any consequences.

“We will be closely monitoring the process when it begins in January, to make sure this time around everything works as it is supposed to,” Gottlieb said.

SEE ALSO: NRA-ILA: Newsom Exposes the Political Purpose of California’s Taxpayer-funded Anti-gun Factoid Factory

Not every California gun owner will be eligible to register their “assault weapon.” The state laid out four requirements that must be met for an individual to use the new registration process:

  1. The person would have been eligible to register an assault weapon under subdivision (b) of Penal Code § 30900;  
  2. The person lawfully possessed each assault weapon they seek to register before January 1, 2017;
  3. The person verifies under penalty of perjury that they attempted to register the assault weapon prior to the original registration deadline of midnight on July 1, 2018, but they were unable to do so because of technical difficulties during the registration process; and
  4. The person timely registers the assault weapon between 9 a.m. on January 13, 2022, and 9 a.m. on April 12, 2022.

The California DOJ has not said how or if they plan to verify that a gun owner tried to use the online system but was unable to.

As GunsAmerica reported at the time, a vanishingly small group of gun owners registered their firearms the first time around. At the end of the registration period in 2018, 6,213 individuals successfully registered 13,519 “assault weapons” before the deadline, according to Deputy Attorney General Robert D. Wilson. 

SEE ALSO: Support for Gun Control Slips in Anti-Gun Haven of California

The numbers were likely low in part due to non-compliance and in part due to technical issues. Franklin Armory’s Jay Jacobson told us at the time that he tried unsuccessfully to register his AR-15 three separate times. In all three instances, his registration attempts were delayed but he wasn’t given a rationale.

Other gun owners were discouraged from registering their firearms after reports emerged that Californians had been prosecuted for illegal firearms after good-faith attempts to register their weapons.

This time around, the state is allowing gun owners to register their firearms online and via paper forms.

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  • CG September 19, 2021, 12:03 am

    This honestly and sincerely makes me question why any red blooded freedom loving American citizen would have even the most remote desire to live in the clearly repressive and communist leaning state of California. Really folks, why would anyone want to live in a place that enacts unconstitutional laws like this?

  • sfvshooter September 18, 2021, 10:33 pm

    Not sure what the problem was because I was able to register 3 AR’s (Sig MCX, LWRC DI, FN DMR), Scar 17, and a Serbian AK back in in 2018 because 1) I wanted to keep the features of the AW AR (pistol grip, BB, 26″ overall length, etc 2) I wanted to be able to use standard mags with a pistol grip 3) I was hoping the law would be overturned someday in the future and I could use it without the BB and AW designation.

    Fixed mag (AR maglock & kingpin) sucks, but featureless is even worse.

    And before others bash us in CA, think about this. It’s easy for you to be a firearms owner in your state. I have to fight tooth and nail for my rights in this state yet I haven’t moved out and I haven’t given up my firearms. I support the CRPA and we’re going to keep fighting.

  • John Amato September 18, 2021, 3:09 am

    Any criminal in Kalifornia can have one but you.

  • Shanz September 17, 2021, 4:17 pm

    Nope. Fuck you commies. Ca resident with normal legal rifles I paid taxes on and did background check to get. Fuck you.

  • etph September 17, 2021, 4:13 pm

    They’re counting on the new gun owners to register their guns because many of them are democrats.

  • Richard Cranium September 17, 2021, 10:40 am

    California demonrats are traitors to the constitution and theyy all should be shot dead on sight.

    Open season on all demonrats, no license required and no bag limit!

    Note: some Washington DC demonrats now have a bounty on them.

    Get your reward, kill a demonrat for mommy!

    • icecliff September 17, 2021, 2:41 pm

      You talk the talk. Do you walk the walk?

  • Mike September 17, 2021, 9:45 am

    Why would anyone desire to register the gun? Why?

  • John Kramer September 17, 2021, 7:40 am

    Nazi germany did that. So has Australia. Prepare to have your guns confiscated.

  • Keep That Liberty September 17, 2021, 7:28 am

    People must register all their firearms in California so authorities know where they are for future confiscations. Anyone who does not believe this is delusional.

  • Abner Yokum September 17, 2021, 6:54 am

    Why are Americans still living in Kalifornia?

    • Fatboy September 17, 2021, 12:16 pm

      We live in California because we are Californians, not rats leaving a sinking ship, and are going to take it back.

      • Shanz September 17, 2021, 4:20 pm

        Yup. I’m here still. Fuck em.

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