How to get your Firearm Safety Certificate

Who needs one

Anyone buying or receiving a firearm in California, other than an antique, needs a valid FSC unless the law exempts them, and no one may sell, deliver, loan or transfer a firearm to a person without one. [DOJ guide, preface] You show it to the dealer when you start the purchase. [DOJ FAQ] Simply owning a firearm does not require one, and you don’t have to carry your FSC with you. [DOJ FAQ] To see whether you are exempt, read who is exempt from the FSC.

Getting it, step by step

1. Check you qualify to sit the test. You must be at least 18 and show a valid California driver license or ID card from the DMV. [11 CCR §4252(a)]
2. Study the DOJ’s free guide. The DOJ calls it the best way to prepare. [DOJ FAQ] Our summary of the guide and 30 practice questions are built from it.
3. Find a DOJ Certified Instructor. They are generally located at gun dealers. [DOJ FAQ]
4. Pay the fee. The most you can be charged is $25 for the test and the certificate, and it covers a second attempt if you fail the first. Of that, $15 goes to the DOJ and the instructor may charge $10 for giving the test. [11 CCR §4252(b)]
5. Take the test. Thirty questions, 10 true/false and 20 multiple choice, with no notes or help. You need 23 right. [11 CCR §4253(a), (d), (g)] More on what’s on the test.
6. Get your certificate. If you pass, the instructor issues it immediately, and you and the instructor both sign it. [11 CCR §4254(a), (g)]

If you fail

Your $25 includes one retest. After 24 hours you can take a different version of the test without paying again, from the same instructor (another instructor only with the DOJ’s permission, for good cause). The instructor has to be available during regular business hours for the retest. [11 CCR §4253(h)] They must also offer you the study guide or point you to the DOJ’s webinar. [DOJ FAQ]

One exception: if you are caught using reference materials or getting help, you are disqualified, and the next attempt, after 24 hours, costs the full $25 again. [11 CCR §4253(i)]

How long it lasts

An FSC is valid for five years from the date it was issued. [DOJ FAQ] [DOJ guide p.1] Its issue and expiration dates are printed on it. [11 CCR §4254(d)]

If you lose it

If your FSC is lost, stolen or destroyed, only the instructor who issued it can give you a replacement. It costs $5, you need proof of identity, and it keeps your original expiration date. [DOJ FAQ] [DOJ guide p.32]

After the certificate

The FSC is the first step, not the last. Before a dealer hands over a gun there is a 10-day waiting period and a background check, and you perform a safe handling demonstration with the gun you are buying. [DOJ guide pp.31–32] Buying a gun in California walks through the whole sequence.