Firearms Safety Certificate

What is the Firearms Safety Certificate?

Posted by Turner’s Outdoorsman

What is the Firearms Safety Certificate?

SB 683 (signed by Gov. Brown in 2013) will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. SB 683 eliminates the Handgun Safety Certificate (HSC) and replaces it with the Firearms Safety Certificate (FSC) which will be required for the purchase of all firearms- handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Likewise, purchasers/transferees of all firearms will be required to perform the Safe Handling Demo (SHD) on all firearms beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Turner’s Outdoorsman will be issuing FSC’s and performing SHD’s as we have been doing with the current HSC program.

But given the added time involved in the process and the high number of customers who will need the FSC, we strongly recommend that you DROS and pick up your rifles, shotguns and lower receivers prior to Dec. 31, 2014.

Here is a summary of how this transition may affect you:

Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC)

• Customers who DROS a long gun (rifle or shotgun) and pick it up before close of business on Dec. 31, 2014, will not need to possess an FSC.
• Customers who DROS a long gun before close of business on Dec. 31, 2014, but who do not pick up the gun until after Dec. 31, 2014, will need to obtain the FSC.
• Customers who DROS a long gun beginning Jan. 1, 2015 will need to possess an FSC.
• Customers who possess an HSC will be able to DROS handguns only, up to the expiration date of an HSC card issued prior to Jan. 1, 2015.
• If they wish to purchase a long gun, they will need to acquire the FSC.

Firearm Safe Handling Demo (SHD)

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015 customers must perform the SHD for handguns and long guns prior to transfer of the firearm regardless if they DROS’d the gun prior to Dec. 31^st.

Exemptions to the FSC include:

All of the exemptions to the HSC plus long gun purchasers who possess a current hunting license.