Firearms: unsafe handguns.

(1) Existing law establishes various requirements governing unsafe handguns, as defined. Among other things, existing law makes it a crime, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, to manufacture, import into the state for sale, keep for sale, offer or expose for sale, give, or lend an unsafe handgun. Existing law also requires handguns imported into the state for sale, kept for sale, or offered or exposed for sale, to be tested, as specified, to determine if they are unsafe. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain a roster listing the handguns that have been tested and have been determined not to be unsafe. Existing law specifies various exceptions from these requirements. Existing law allows a handgun model that has been included in the roster to be retested and allows the handgun model to be removed from the roster if it fails retesting. Existing law allows a handgun model removed from the roster for failing retesting to be reinstated upon a petition to the Attorney General for reinstatement and successful retesting, as specified. This bill would allow a handgun model removed from the roster for any reason other than its failure upon retesting to be reinstated to the roster upon a petition to the Attorney General for reinstatement and successful retesting, as specified. The bill would require that a handgun model that is reinstated to the roster pursuant to these provisions only meet the requirements for listing as of the date the handgun model was originally submitted for testing. (2) Under existing law, a firearm is deemed to meet the requirements for being listed on the roster if a firearm made by the same manufacturer is already listed on the roster and the unlisted firearm differs from the listed firearm only with regard to certain features, as specified. This bill would revise the features in which the unlisted firearm may differ from the listed firearm and provide that a firearm may still be deemed to satisfy the requirements of being listed on the roster, as specified, if the manufacturer alters the firearm's manufacturing process, materials, function, or components.