(a) Article 1 (commencing with Section 28100), Article 2 (commencing with Section 28150), Article 3 (commencing with Section 28200), and Article 4 (commencing with Section 28300) do not apply to any sale, delivery, or transfer of firearms made to an authorized law enforcement representative of any city, county, city and county, or state, or of the federal government, for exclusive use by that governmental agency if, prior to the sale, delivery, or transfer of these firearms, written authorization from the head of the agency authorizing the transaction is presented to the person from whom the purchase, delivery, or transfer is being made.

(b) Proper written authorization is defined as verifiable written certification from the head of the agency by which the purchaser or transferee is employed, identifying the employee as an individual authorized to conduct the transaction, and authorizing the transaction for the exclusive use of the agency by which that person is employed.

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Terms Used In California Penal Code 28400

  • county: includes "city and county". See California Penal Code 7
  • firearm: includes the frame or receiver of the weapon, including both a completed frame or receiver, or a firearm precursor part:

    California Penal Code 16520

  • handgun: means any pistol, revolver, or firearm capable of being concealed upon the person. See California Penal Code 16640
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Penal Code 7
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Penal Code 7
  • state agency: shall include any state board, commission, bureau, or division created pursuant to the provisions of the Business and Professions Code, the Education Code, or the Chiropractic Initiative Act to license and regulate individuals who engage in certain businesses and professions. See California Penal Code 23

(c) Within 10 days of the date a handgun, and commencing January 1, 2014, any firearm, is acquired by the agency, a record of the same shall be entered as an institutional weapon into the Automated Firearms System (AFS) via the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) by the law enforcement or state agency. Any agency without access to AFS shall arrange with the sheriff of the county in which the agency is located to input this information via this system.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 745, Sec. 59. (AB 809) Effective January 1, 2012.)