Pursuant to Court Order, California Department of Justice Announces Reopening of the Bullet Button Assault Weapons Registration Period

Eligible assault weapons can be registered with the California Department of Justice from January 13, 2022, until April 12, 2022

SACRAMENTO – In compliance with a federal court order, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced that the period to register eligible assault weapons will reopen at 9 a.m. PST on January 13, 2022, and close at 9 a.m. PST on April 12, 2022. The timeframe to register these firearms originally ended on July 1, 2018. However, DOJ is reopening the registration window to comply with a federal judge’s order in March that requires the Department to accept applications from individuals who were unable to register their firearms during the original period due to technical issues with the registration website.

An individual’s firearms will only be registered if all of the following requirements are met:

1. The person would have been eligible to register an assault weapon under subdivision (b) of Penal Code § 30900;  
2. The person lawfully possessed each assault weapon they seek to register before January 1, 2017;
3. The person verifies under penalty of perjury that they attempted to register the assault weapon prior to the original registration deadline of midnight on July 1, 2018, but they were unable to do so because of technical difficulties during the registration process; and
4. The person timely registers the assault weapon between 9 a.m. on January 13, 2022, and 9 a.m. on April 12, 2022.

Registration applications will be accepted online using the same procedures that were used during the original registration period in 2018, with the exception that individuals will also be able to submit a paper registration form in lieu of an internet registration. DOJ will accept as timely all paper registrations that are postmarked by the last day of the 90-day registration period. 

Individuals who believe they meet the eligibility requirements to register their firearms or would like more information should visit: www.oag.ca.gov/firearms/bullet-button-assault-weapon.