Pen. Code, § 33865 · Chapter 2. Return or Transfer of Firearm in Custody or Control of Court or Law Enforcement Agency
Pen. Code, § 33865
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) When the Department of Justice receives a completed application pursuant to Section 33850 accompanied by the fee required pursuant to Section 33860, it shall conduct an eligibility check of the applicant to determine whether the applicant is eligible to possess a firearm, ammunition feeding device, or ammunition.
(b) The department shall have 30 days from the date of receipt to complete the background check, unless the background check is delayed by circumstances beyond the control of the department. The applicant may contact the department via the California Firearms Application Reporting System (CFARS) to inquire about the reason for a delay.
(c) If the department determines that the applicant is eligible to possess the firearm, ammunition feeding device, or ammunition, the department shall provide the applicant with written notification that includes the following:
(1) The identity of the applicant.
(2) A statement that the applicant is eligible to possess a firearm, ammunition feeding device, or ammunition.
(3) If applicable, a description of the firearm by make, model, and serial number, provided, however, that if the firearm is not a handgun and does not have a serial number, identification number, or identification mark assigned to it, that fact shall be noted.
(d) The department shall enter a record of the firearm into the Automated Firearms System (AFS), provided, however, that if the firearm is not a handgun and does not have a serial number, identification number, or identification mark assigned to it, that fact shall be noted in AFS.
(e) If the department denies the application, and the firearm is an otherwise legal firearm, the department shall notify the applicant of the denial and provide a form for the applicant to use to sell or transfer the firearm to a licensed dealer.
(f) If the department denies the application, the applicant shall receive notification via CFARS from the department explaining the reason for the denial and information regarding the appeal process.
(g) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2020.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Repealed and added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 780, Sec. 16. (SB 746) Effective January 1, 2019. Section operative July 1, 2020, by its own provisions.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=33865.
- Text hash
- sha256 0c39b0d7e0cbc0b0bb6ac5371b4a55952fb6bcecdf031923f991ca875a3cc238
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 2 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 33865. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.