Firearms & Weapons In Riverside County
 Riverside County Sheriff's Department encourages you to visit the State of California Department of Justice Firearms Bureau website for detailed information on registering, regulating, purchasing and selling, and possessing firearms in the state. The website also contains information for other types of weapons.
All firearms purchases and transfers, including private party transactions and sales at gun shows, must be made through a licensed dealer under the Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) process. California imposes a 10-day waiting period before a firearm can be released to a buyer or transferee. A person must be at least 18 years of age to purchase a rifle or shotgun. To buy a handgun, a person must be at least 21 years of age, and either:
- Possess a Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC) plus successfully complete a safety demonstration with the handgun being purchased
OR . . .
- Qualify for an HSC exemption.
State and Federal laws make it unlawful for certain persons to own and/or possess firearms. All applicants for a CCW will be fingerprinted and state records will be checked to determine if they are in a prohibiting class.
Restrictions on Firearms Possession
 On February 24, 2009, the United States Supreme Court, in the case of United States v. Hayes, upheld the provision of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 which prohibits anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a weapon. Any person who has a conviction for any misdemeanor listed in California Penal Code Section 12021(c)(1), including a domestic violence misdemeanor, or for any felony, or is addicted to the use of any narcotic drug, or has been held involuntarily as a danger to self or others pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 8103 is prohibited from buying, owning, or possessing firearms.
Various other prohibitions exist for mental conditions, domestic restraining/protective orders, conditions of probation, and offenses committed as a juvenile.
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