Hey fellas, I've never had to deal with mag cap laws or really any real restrictions like you guys unfortunately have to endure.

I'm selling a semi auto handgun with 4 mags, all over ten round capacity. A guy in CA wants to buy it, have it sent to his FFL and supposedly the FFL will mag block/limit the capacity to 10 rounds before the buyer receives anything.

Can anyone enlighten me as to the legality of such an endeavor? Hate to deny someone a firearm no matter where they live but need to know that I'm covered legally. The handgun in question is a CZ P-02 (P-01 with changeable safety/decocker) if that matters at all.

If anyone can help, I'd surely appreciate it. Thanks.

I checked "the list" of handguns we are allowed to buy from someone who is out of State.

I found only the CZ P-01 and the CZ SP-01.  Check for yourself, please, as I may have made a mistake.  "Handguns Certified for Sale"

If your EXACT pistol is not on "the list", you cannot sell it into California.  A P-01 is not a P-02, no matter how nearly identical they are.


The magazines may not be sold here, either.  It is not clear to me that an FFL is authorized to receive high caps, even with the intention of reducing their capacity before delivery to the customer.  

There might be some wiggle room here.  Perhaps you can disassemble them before shipment to the FFL and they are just "parts".  He could do his mods before assembling them into ten rounders.


There is always the possibility there is an exemption for your potential buyer, too.  Are they LEO or a movie-making company or ... I remember reading of several exemptions from what applies to we civilians.


Look at all that complexity.  

I used to be more up-to-speed on these things but, as I never needed to apply the info, I am only working from old recollections.

I hope this helps in some way, even if it is just to ask the right questions.

I believe there is a California permit or license process for an FFL to deal in  over 10 mags.  They  are legal for law enforcement sales.  But as above, not something I'm current with.  I'm not current on specifics about altering mags either, might be something you can do.  You can probably find it on the Attorney  General's website. The ffl should know.  

You and the buyer should be in communication with the dealer about the specifics of the sale items.  Returns can get pricy and they won't want to eat it.

I appreciate the help, my friend. It's not worth the headache and hurdles to sell there. I thought there was some sort of list as well and would have thought he would know too. Seemed kinda suspicious to be honest but I wanted to at least be fair and find out.

If you were a resident and your pistol was already in California, even a new resident who brought it with you when you moved here, it could be (re)sold without a problem.  It is the "importation" from out of State for sale that is the problem.  It might be doable under certain circumstances but it would likely be a special case.

Then again, I am not an expert or a lawyer, so the info may only be worth what you paid for it.



P.S. - There are many new pistols available in the State, it's just that yours is not one of them.  We continue to fight the flagrant anti-2A legislation but turning that around is a slow process.

It's legal for the buyer's FFL to receive the firearm.

It's legal for the buyer's FFL to receive the magazines if they have a "large capacity magazine permit" (most FFLs do.)

It is the FFL's responsibility to only deliver a firearm which the buyer may legally purchase, with magazines the buyer may legally purchase.

Advise the buyer to make sure that they've checked everything out and that you won't accept returns. If they agree, then send it. Just remember to use the FFL EZ-Check before you ship it, so you're actually sending to an FFL. If you have one of your FFLs ship it, they have to go through an extra step of registering the transfer with CA DOJ before they ship it. It can be a pain and your local FFL may not want to do it. Non-FFL shipments are not required to do that step.