Certified Firearms Safety Device Testing Laboratories - Firearms Division - California Dept. of Justice

Firearm Storage

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) works diligently to promote the safe storage of firearms.

To this end, the DOJ administers the Firearms Safety Certificate program, which among other things, aims to educate handgun owners regarding the dangers of storing firearms where they may be accessed by children.

The DOJ also administers the Firearms Safety Device program. This program was created to ensure that each firearm sold or manufactured in California is accompanied with a firearms safety device that meets DOJ performance standards. The DOJ developed the standards for such devices and currently evaluates and approves these devices on a case-by-case basis for inclusion on the Department's Roster of Firearm Safety Devices Certified for Sale.

Persons who have a gun safe that meets DOJ standards are not required to purchase a firearms safety device with a firearm.

TIPS FOR STORING FIREARMS
When storing your firearms:

Always keep your firearms unloaded.
Always secure your firearms with an appropriate DOJ-approved firearms safety device or, if possible, lock your firearms in a safe that meets DOJ standards.
Store and lock ammunition separate from firearms.

If you keep a firearm within any premises under your custody or control and a person under 18 years of age gains access to it, you could be guilty of a felony and punished by imprisonment in a state prison and/or a $10,000 fine unless you had secured the firearm with a locking device that rendered it inoperable.

For more information on penalties for improperly storing firearms, the following information is available from the California Department of Justice:
Penal Code Section 12035
Penal Code Section 12036

Other Firearm Storage Links:
stopourshootings.org
Americans for Gun Safety Foundation
National Rifle Association (NRA)

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