California Glock Ownership Nonsense

Depends. You can’t buy one from a California dealer because they aren’t deemed a “safe” handgun. Mainly because the manufacturer has to pay for that determination every time a gun changes in any way including changing the color. Glock, like several companies, stopped paying the state for its roster shakedown so Glocks after Gen 3 cannot be sold in California. They want “safe” guns there, after all.

Strangely, if you are law enforcement apparently all guns are safe. Special clothing issued by the state overrides the safe handgun roster. You can buy any handgun new from a dealer with the imprimatur of the state behind you.

Also, if you legally owned the gun out of state and, for some insane reason, moved into the state of California, your handgun apparently inherits “safe” status. Up to and including allowing you to sell it to another California resident as that one-time safety is now transferable as well. But the new Glock in the box? No way. Unsafe as it comes.

So if you own the Gen 4 already, it’s legal. If you don’t, it isn’t legal unless you have a badge or have a recently moved in friend willing to sell you theirs. Then it magically becomes legal.

No, I am not making any of this up. This is the actual law in the state of California as it applies to handguns.