Penal Code section 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.(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.
Source:
Section 27530, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=27530. (accessed May 26, 2025).