Frequently Asked Questions

When you buy a firearm (handgun, rifle, shotgun, or lowers) you have to submit a background check to California Department of Justice. A background check (called a Dealer Report of Sale or DROS) costs $37.19 and DOJ takes a minimum of 240 hours (10 days) and has up to 30 days to complete the background check. 

Per Prop 63, to purchase ammo in California you are required to complete an ammo background check. There are 2 types of ammo checks, STANDARD and BASIC. 

STANDARD

The first type (Standard) is $1 and instantaneous. We swipe your DL (Must have a REAL ID). To pass the ammo background you must have purchased a firearm in the last 5 years at your current address. If you have not purchased a firearm or moved within 5 years then you will be denied and will have to do the Basic check every time you buy ammo or until you purchase a firearm.

BASIC

The second type (Basic) is $19 and takes roughly 10 days to process. Until you purchase or reregister a firearm you will have to do this check every time you buy ammo. Needs REAL ID. 

If you do not have a REAL ID, bring in your Birth Certificate or Passport.

If your address is not current on your ID you need a current address verification (car registration or utility bill).

If you fail a DROS background check the $37.19 fee is nonrefundable and there is a 20% restocking fee on the purchase price of the firearm. You can contact DOJ or local District Attorneys office to determine why you were denied. 

The California Firearms Application Reporting System (CFARS) is a web-based application on the Caliifornia Department of Justice website that allows an individual to report their firearms to the Department of Justice (DOJ) using California Reporting Information System (CRIS) reporting forms, as outlined in California firearms laws and regulations. For your protection, the DOJ does not process credit card payments nor does it retain record of the credit card data. All payments are conducted through a third party payment application processing company using secured transactions.

https://cfars.doj.ca.gov/login!displayLogin.do

• Create CFARS Account
• You will be taken through the standard account making process. Once you submit your information you will be assigned a username and should receive a confirmation email. Once your account is set up you’ll see the menu and from there just follow the steps of the firearm ownership report. 
• California Reporting Information System (CRIS)
• Firearm Ownership report 
• Enter all your information
• Enter the firearm information you wish to register
• You will also be required to put where and when you got the firearm. (store, family member, etc.) the date you got it is not super important as long as you are close. 
• Once submitted it takes DOJ 90-120 days to process the information 
• Once approved you’ll be eligible to purchase ammunition in the state of California. 
• You only need to register one firearm. 

If you are having a firearm or ammo shipped to Sierra Shield, we require up to 24 hours after receipt of shipment to process the items into inventory. Our staff will call you when your package is in and available to start your paperwork. 

All handguns that come into Californian must be on the California handgun roster. You can find the roster on DOJ's website https://www.oag.ca.gov/firearms/certified-handguns/search

ALL HANDGUN FRAMES ARE ILLEGAL IN CA whether on the roster or not any handgun frame is a felony to possess in CA. 

For rifles please call the store as there are many different variables with rifles. 530-387-0110 

If your last firearm purchase of a long gun was prior to January 1, 2014, there is a possibility you may not have a record in the Automated Firearms System despite having purchased or transferred your firearm through a firearms dealer. The Department was statutorily prohibited from retaining information regarding sales of rifles or shotguns prior to January 1, 2014. As a result, records of rifles and shotguns in the Automated Firearms System prior to January 1, 2014, are limited to assault weapon registrations (Pen. Code, § 30500, et seq.), voluntary reports of ownership, and other records entered by the Department and California law enforcement agencies. You may submit the Firearm Ownership Report through the California Firearms Application Reporting System (CFARS). https://cfars.doj.ca.gov/login For more information regarding this process please visit the Firearms Reporting and Law Enforcement Release Application page. https://www.oag.ca.gov/firearms/online-reporting

*SEE REGISTERING FIREARM FOR STEPS*