I've got a 17-3 that is the most accurate handgun I own. I paid about $350 for it 5 or six years ago. Prices have gone up since then. It is going out in the desert with me today.
It is perfect legal to buy one of the older ones in California if it was here before they started making lists of what you can own. It is also legal for someone to "import" one when they move here. You will find these for sale sometimes as well. Unfortunately, this climate makes the older ones more expensive in California.
I would love a 617 or 317, but my next .22 will likely be a Buckmark if I can find the right one when I have money in my pocket.
I know this is the S&W forum, but I have seen some Ruger Single Sixes for sale lately. If your dad is a fan of single actions...
Chubbs
Yes used guns can be brought by the public as private party transfers in a FFL licensed gun shop or at a pawn shop or gun shop on consignment. Both parties have to be present to do the transaction.
A gun shop cannot buy a old handgun from another state that is not on the approved handgun list and then sell it to a customer that lives in California. Here is the paragraph from the Department of Justice rules and regulations on sales of handguns in California.
Handgun Safety, Functionality, and Testing Requirements
No handgun may be manufactured or sold to the public in California unless it is of a make and
model that has passed required safety and functionality tests and is approved for publication in the
Department of Justice's official list of handguns certified as safe for sale in California. Any person
who manufactures, imports into the state for sale, sells, gives, or lends an unsafe handgun is guilty
of a misdemeanor. (Penal Code § 12125.)
The current list of handguns certified as safe for sale in California is available on the
Bureau of Firearms website at
http://www.ag.ca.gov/firearms/certlist.htm.
Exceptions
The prohibition against manufacturing, importing, selling, or giving an unsafe handgun does not
apply to the following:
• The manufacture in this state, or importation into this state, of any prototype handgun
when the manufacture or importation is for the sole purpose of allowing an independent
laboratory certified by the Department of Justice to conduct an independent test to determine
whether that handgun qualifies to be added to the roster of handguns that may be sold in this
state. (Penal Code § 12125.)
• The importation or lending of a handgun by employees or authorized agents of an
independent testing laboratory for purposes of determining whether the weapon meets
Department of Justice criteria to be added to the roster of handguns that may be sold in
this state. (Penal Code § 12125.)
California Firearms Laws 2007 35
• Firearms listed as curios or relics, as defined in Section 178.11 of Title 27 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. (Penal Code § 12125.)
The requirements for handguns to pass safety and functionality tests and to be listed in the
Department of Justice's official list of handguns certified as safe for sale in California do not apply
to transactions involving the following:
• Private party transfers of handguns occurring through a firearms dealer. (Penal Code § 12132(a).)
• Firearm transfers that, subject to any specified exemption, are not required to be conducted
by firearms dealers. (Penal Code § 12132(b).)
• Sales, loans, or transfers of firearms listed as curios or relics, as defined in Section
178.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (Penal Code §§ 12132(c)
and (g).)
• The delivery of a handgun to a licensed firearms dealer for the purposes of servicing or
repairing that firearm and the subsequent return of the handgun by the licensed firearms
dealer to its owner. (Penal Code § 12132(d) and (e).)
• The return of a handgun by a licensed firearms dealer to its owner where that firearm
was initially delivered to that firearms dealer for the purpose of a consignment sale or
as collateral for a pawnbroker loan. (Penal Code § 12132(f).)
• Single-action revolvers with at least a five-cartridge capacity, a barrel length of not less than three
inches, and either:
(a) were originally manufactured prior to 1900 and are curios or relics, as defined in Section 178.11
of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations; or
(b) have an overall length measured parallel to the barrel of at least seven and one-half
inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled. (Penal Code § 12133.)
The chances of finding a used S&W 22 LR revolver in California are slim and none. I have been looking for a model 18 4 inch for sometime and only found one which was in bad condition. The gunshop wanted $650 for it. For that kind of money I would rather buy new.
Regards,
Howard
!!!!!!!!! They ain't getting cheaper!
