The FSC study guide, chapter by chapter

Jump to: Introduction, safety rules, children, operation and ammunition, ownership and storage, straw purchases, firearms laws.

Introduction

• To get an FSC you must pass the DOJ written test with at least 75%, and the certificate is valid for five years. A lost, stolen or destroyed one is replaced by the instructor who issued it. [DOJ guide p.1]
• The Legislature’s aim is that people who get firearms are familiar with them, including safe handling and storage. An FSC is not meant to be required for simply possessing a firearm. [DOJ guide p.1]
• Ignorance and carelessness are major causes of firearm accidents, and the safety rules have to be applied all of the time, not most of it. [DOJ guide p.1]
• Bringing a firearm into the home can raise the risk of death in the household by suicide, homicide or accident, and safe storage matters most when someone at home is depressed, intoxicated, struggling with substance use, or angry. [DOJ guide p.2]

Chapter 1: Firearm safety rules

The six basic rules, in the guide’s order: [DOJ guide p.4]

1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
2. Keep the firearm pointed in the safest possible direction.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
4. Know your target, its surroundings, and beyond.
5. Know how to properly operate your firearm.
6. Store your firearm safely and securely to prevent unauthorized use, with firearms and ammunition stored separately.

What each one means in practice:

• Assume a firearm is loaded even if you think it isn’t, and check it every time you handle it. If you can’t check it, leave it alone and get help. [DOJ guide p.4]
• A safe direction is one where an accidental discharge would hurt no one and damage nothing. Never point a firearm at yourself or anyone else. [DOJ guide p.4]
• Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot. A stumble or a sudden noise can make you squeeze. “The trigger is for firing; the handle is for handling.” [DOJ guide p.4]
• Check what is in front of and behind the target. Never shoot at a movement, color, sound or shape you can’t identify. If in doubt, don’t shoot. [DOJ guide pp.4–5]
• Know how to load, unload and clear a malfunction on your firearm, and don’t assume one model works like another. [DOJ guide p.5]
• Use a California-approved safety device such as a trigger lock or cable lock, store the firearm unloaded in a locked container, keep ammunition somewhere else, and for maximum safety use both a lock and a container. [DOJ guide p.5]

The additional safety points:

• Don’t handle a firearm when angry or depressed, or after alcohol, drugs, or medication that causes drowsiness. [DOJ guide p.5]
• Never fire into the air in celebration. It is unsafe, generally illegal, and a falling bullet can injure or kill. [DOJ guide p.5]
• Don’t shoot at water or at flat or hard surfaces: the bullet can ricochet. [DOJ guide p.5]
• Hand a firearm to someone, or take one, only after checking it is unloaded with the cylinder or action open. [DOJ guide p.5]
• Always wear ear and eye protection when shooting. [DOJ guide p.5]

Chapter 2: Firearms and children

• You may be guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony if a child under 18 gets a firearm you keep and uses it to cause injury or death, or carries it to a public place. [DOJ guide p.7]
• Don’t assume a toddler can’t pull a trigger: a child’s thumb has twice the strength of the other fingers, and a thumb on the trigger usually points the barrel at the child’s face. [DOJ guide p.7]
• The precautions apply even if you have no children at home. A nephew, niece, neighbor’s child or grandchild may visit. [DOJ guide p.7]
• Answer children’s questions about firearms honestly, teach the difference between real and toy guns, and model safe behavior: children learn most by watching adults. [DOJ guide p.7]

The four rules for kids who find a firearm, in order: Stop; Don’t touch (not even to carry it to an adult); Leave the area; Tell an adult. [DOJ guide p.8]

Chapter 3: Firearm operation, ammunition and malfunctions

This chapter also contains the safe handling demonstration steps, which the guide says will not be on the written test. [DOJ guide p.10] They have their own page: the safe handling demonstration.

Revolvers

• A revolver has a rotating cylinder, usually with five or six chambers. Working the trigger or hammer lines a chamber up with the barrel; releasing the cylinder latch swings the cylinder out. [DOJ guide p.10]
• On a single-action revolver the trigger only releases the hammer. On a double-action revolver the trigger both cocks the hammer and releases it. [DOJ guide p.10]
• Spinning the cylinder to an empty chamber does not unload a revolver or make it safe. [DOJ guide p.12]

Semiautomatic pistols

• A semiautomatic pistol has a single chamber and holds its ammunition in a magazine, usually in the grip, released by a button or catch. Each trigger pull fires a cartridge, ejects the empty case and loads the next. [DOJ guide p.15]
• The safety is not foolproof; treat it as an extra measure. Never pull the trigger with the safety on: the firearm could then fire later without the trigger being touched. A dropped firearm can fire too. [DOJ guide p.15]
• Never assume a pistol is unloaded because the magazine is out. A round can still be in the chamber. [DOJ guide p.18]

Ammunition and caliber

• A cartridge, or round, has four parts: the case, the primer (the impact-sensitive ignition compound), the propellant (a fast-burning compound) and the bullet (the projectile, only one part of the cartridge). [DOJ guide pp.22–23]
• Recoil is the push of the gases against the firearm. Anticipating it can make a new shooter grip too tightly or flinch. [DOJ guide p.23]
• Firearm caliber is the barrel’s diameter; ammunition caliber is the bullet’s. It is generally marked on a revolver’s barrel, on a semiautomatic pistol’s slide, and on the ammunition box. Use only the caliber the manufacturer recommends. [DOJ guide p.23]
• A cartridge that fits is not necessarily safe: the wrong ammunition can create pressure that damages the firearm and injures people. [DOJ guide p.24]
• Never shoot old, dirty, corroded or wet ammunition. Never throw it in the trash; ask your local refuse department how to dispose of it. Buy only from an authorized ammunition vendor. [DOJ guide p.24]

Dangerous range and malfunctions

• Most ammunition can travel at least a mile, and some more than two miles. Most can go through interior walls, and magnum or high-velocity rounds go farther. Once you fire, you are responsible for whatever the bullet hits. [DOJ guide p.24]
• If a firearm malfunctions: stop firing, keep it pointed in a safe direction, wait 30 seconds before trying to clear it, and get competent help. At a range, keep it pointed downrange, finger off the trigger, and raise your non-shooting hand for a range official. [DOJ guide p.24]

Chapter 4: Firearm ownership and storage

Know it, read the manual, train

• Read the owner’s manual, and consider a hands-on training course, which the guide calls the best way to become skilled. [DOJ guide p.26]

Cleaning and repair

• Clean firearms regularly and after long storage, and clean the barrel after every use. [DOJ guide p.26]
• Before cleaning, make sure the firearm is unloaded and take all ammunition out of the area. Work somewhere without distractions, with good ventilation because of lead; wash your hands before touching food or drink, and don’t smoke around lead. [DOJ guide p.26]
• Repairs should be made only by a gunsmith or the manufacturer. Some modifications are illegal and dangerous, and can void the warranty. [DOJ guide pp.26–27]

Safety devices and storage

• Every firearm sold in California must come with a DOJ-approved firearm safety device, or proof that the buyer owns a safe that meets DOJ standards. [DOJ guide p.27]
• The guide notes that from January 1, 2026, Penal Code section 25145 requires anyone with a firearm in a residence to keep it securely stored with a DOJ-approved safety device or safe whenever it isn’t being carried or kept close enough to stop others getting it. [DOJ guide p.27]
• The two most common locking devices are trigger locks and cable locks. They stop the firearm being fired, but neither is designed to stop it being taken. [DOJ guide pp.27–28]
• Lock boxes and safes are designed to completely prevent the firearm being handled or removed. Safes usually weigh at least 50 pounds. Any lock is only as secure as its key or combination. [DOJ guide p.28]

Childproofing

• Store firearms unloaded, with a safety device and in a locked container, and lock the ammunition up separately. [DOJ guide p.28]
• Don’t keep a firearm where it can be seen, in a bedside table, under a mattress or pillow, on a closet shelf, or among valuables unless it is locked in a secure container. Consider storing firearms you don’t keep for self-defense away from home. [DOJ guide p.28]

Chapter 5: Prohibited transfers and straw purchases

• A straw purchase is buying a firearm for someone who is prohibited from having one, or for someone who doesn’t want their name on the sale. [DOJ guide p.30]
• Transfers between two people who aren’t licensed dealers must go through a licensed dealer; otherwise it can be a felony. [DOJ guide p.30]
• Under federal law an illegal purchase can bring a felony conviction, with up to 15 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. [DOJ guide p.30]

Chapter 6: Firearms laws

The guide’s general summary of state law, as of its 2025 edition. It is not meant as guidance for specific situations; for those the guide suggests an attorney or local law enforcement. [DOJ guide p.31]

Buying and transferring

• Only licensed dealers may sell firearms at retail. The dealer submits a Dealer Record of Sale (DROS), and there is a mandatory 10-day waiting period while the DOJ runs a background check. [DOJ guide p.31]
• Buyers generally must be at least 21, and must be California residents with a valid California driver license or ID card. [DOJ guide p.31]
• Private-party sales go through a dealer, who may charge up to $10 per firearm on top of state fees. Infrequent transfers between parent and child or grandparent and grandchild (not siblings) don’t need a dealer, but the receiver needs an FSC first and must report the transfer to the DOJ within 30 days. [DOJ guide p.31]
• Handgun buyers must also show proof of residency, such as a utility bill from the last three months. [DOJ guide pp.31–32] Handguns sold by dealers must be on the DOJ’s roster of certified handguns. [DOJ guide p.32]
• New residents must report their firearms to the DOJ within 60 days (the fee is $19) or sell or transfer them. [DOJ guide p.33]
• Anyone making their own firearm must apply for a unique serial number, and may not make more than three a year without a license. [DOJ guide pp.33–34]

Buying a gun in California has the full sequence and the guide’s table of which rules apply to which kind of transfer.

Carrying and transporting

• Carrying a concealed handgun without a license is illegal. An unloaded firearm locked in the trunk, or in a locked container other than the glove or utility compartment, is not considered concealed. [DOJ guide p.34]
• Concealed carry licenses are issued by a sheriff or a city police chief. In counties under 200,000 people, a license to carry loaded and exposed in that county may be issued. [DOJ guide p.34]
• Firearms and ammunition are generally prohibited on commercial passenger planes; for trains, ships and buses, ask the carrier in advance. [DOJ guide p.34]
• Carrying a loaded firearm in a public place or on a public street in an incorporated city is generally illegal, and refusing to let a peace officer check whether your firearm is loaded is grounds for arrest. Hunting and target ranges are exceptions. [DOJ guide p.36]
• Openly carrying an unloaded handgun in public places in incorporated cities is generally illegal too. [DOJ guide p.37]

Home, self-defense and prohibited acts

• An adult who is not barred from having firearms may keep one, loaded or unloaded, at their residence (including a temporary residence or campsite) or on private property they own or lawfully control. [DOJ guide p.35]
• Self-defense allows only the force a reasonable person would believe necessary, and the right ends when there is no further danger. [DOJ guide p.35]
• Large-capacity magazines are generally illegal to make, sell, give, lend, buy or receive. [DOJ guide p.36]
• It is illegal to alter a firearm’s identification marks, or knowingly buy, sell or possess one that has been altered; to bring a firearm onto school grounds without authorization; or to draw or exhibit a firearm in a rude, angry or threatening way. [DOJ guide pp.36–37]
• A driver or owner who lets someone fire from a vehicle can face up to three years in state prison. [DOJ guide p.38]
• Leaving a loaded firearm where a child (under 18) or a prohibited person is likely to get it can be criminal storage, in three degrees depending on what happens. [DOJ guide p.38]
• It is generally illegal to sell or give a firearm to anyone under 21. Minors may only have firearms or live ammunition in set circumstances, such as a lawful sporting, ranching or hunting activity with a parent, or, from 16, with a parent’s prior written consent for those same activities. [DOJ guide pp.38–39]

Who may not have a firearm

• Under California law a felony conviction means a lifetime ban, and certain misdemeanors a ten-year ban. [DOJ guide p.39]
• Gun violence and domestic violence restraining orders also prohibit firearms, and the person served must give up their firearms within 24 hours. [DOJ guide p.39]

Test yourself

When you have read the guide, try our 30 practice questions. Every answer links back to the guide page it comes from.