California legal term
unsafe handgun in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “unsafe handgun” 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 “unsafe handgun” mean in California criminal law?
“unsafe handgun” means any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person, for which any of the following is true: (1) For a revolver: (A) It does not have a safety device that, either automatically in the case of a double-action firing mechanism, or by manual operation in the case of a single-action firing mechanism, causes the hammer to retract to a point where the firing pin does not rest upon the primer of the cartridge. (Cal. Penal Code § 31910)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.