California legal term
malfunction in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “malfunction” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “malfunction” mean in California criminal law?
“malfunction” means a failure to properly feed, fire, or eject a round, or failure of a pistol to accept or eject the magazine, or failure of a pistol’s slide to remain open after the magazine has been expended. (Cal. Penal Code § 31905)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.