Firearms: shotguns.

(1) Existing law, for purposes of regulation, defines a shotgun as a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of projectiles or a single projectile for each pull of the trigger. This bill would revise the definition of a shotgun to delete the requirement that it be intended to be fired from the shoulder, and would clarify that the projectile may be fired through either a rifled bore or a smooth bore. The bill would state that this definition does not include handguns, except as specified. The bill would also delete an erroneous cross-reference. (2) Existing law requires that, with specified exceptions, any person who, prior to January 1, 2001, lawfully possessed an assault weapon prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon, and which was not specified as an assault weapon at the time of lawful possession, register the firearm with the Department of Justice. Existing law defines a shotgun with a revolving cylinder as an assault weapon. Existing law permits the Department of Justice to charge a fee for registration of up to $20 per person but not to exceed the actual processing costs of the department. Existing law, after the department establishes fees sufficient to reimburse the department for processing costs, requires fees charged to increase at a rate not to exceed the legislatively approved annual cost-of-living adjustment for the department's budget or as otherwise increased through the Budget Act. Existing law, the Administrative Procedure Act, establishes the requirements for the adoption, publication, review, and implementation of regulations by state agencies. This bill would require that those fees do not exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department. The bill would require any person who, from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2013, inclusive, lawfully acquired a shotgun with a revolving cylinder, as defined, including those firearms subject to the revised definition of "shotgun," to register the firearm before July 1, 2015, with the department pursuant to those procedures that the department may establish. The bill would prohibit an individual from being penalized for a violation of that requirement prior to July 1, 2015. The bill would require registrations to be submitted electronically via the Internet, as specified. The bill would require the registration to contain specified information, including, but not limited to, a description of the firearm that identifies it uniquely and specified information about the registrant. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations for the purpose of carrying out those provisions and would exempt those regulations from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would authorize the department to charge a fee for registration of each assault weapon of up to $20 per firearm but not to exceed the reasonable processing costs of the department, as specified. The bill would require payment be made by debit or credit card, as specified. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes. By changing the definition of an existing crime, this bill imposes a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.