Legal Disclaimer: Please understand that we are not lawyers and the information in this blog article is not presented as legal advice nor should it be construed as such. The content of this article is strictly meant to inform and entertain. If you need legal advice please consult an attorney. Laws change constantly and we make no promises that the information below is or will remain accurate. To protect your freedom, you must do your own research.

It’s been a crazy year for everyone, especially for those of us behind the Iron Kurtain of Kommiefornia: Everything from riots to new gun-grabbing legislation has put a lot of people on edge and put their own safety and freedoms to the forefront of their attention. With a veritable cornucopia of new gun owners in California this year, naturally, there’s a whole new generation of people who need to know how to comply with California law as bass-ackwards as it may be.

How does someone build a Ca compliant AR 15? Due to how ‘unique’ California’s laws are regarding AR rifles, it can be pretty intimidating for someone new to firearms (or just new to the state) to build one.

What is an “Assault Weapon”?

To help you better understand how determining if a firearm is an "assault weapon" in California or not refer to the flowchart above. It's important to understand what California law dictates as an “Assault Weapon”, because avoiding this legal red-tape is the key to building out a Ca compliant ar lower. First, here’s a run down on what an ‘Assault Weapon’ is, and what ‘Assault Features’ are defined by in California Law. According to the California DOJ Website, an ‘Assault Weapon’ can be defined as any of the following:

1. A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:

• A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon.
• A thumbhole stock.
• A folding or telescoping stock.
• A grenade launcher or flare launcher.
• A flash suppressor.
• A forward pistol grip.

2. A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.

3. A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has an overall length of less than 30 inches.

4. A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:

• A threaded barrel, capable of accepting a flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer.
• A second handgrip.
• A shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel that allows the bearer to fire the weapon without burning his or her hand, except a slide that encloses the barrel.
• The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.

5. A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.

6. A semiautomatic shotgun that has both of the following:

• A folding or telescoping stock.
• A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon, thumbhole stock, or vertical handgrip.

7. A semiautomatic shotgun that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine.

8. Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

• "Assault weapon" does not include any antique firearm.”
• The following definitions shall apply under this section:
• "Magazine" shall mean any ammunition feeding device.
• "Capacity to accept more than 10 rounds" shall mean capable of accommodating more than 10 rounds, but shall not be construed to include a feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than 10 rounds.
• "Antique firearm" means any firearm manufactured prior to January 1, 1899.”

To have a rifle that doesn’t have any of these “Assault Features” is what the State of California considers a ‘Featureless’ AR-15. Unless the gun was registered before the California Assault weapon ban, it is illegal to own an ‘Assault Weapon’ in the State of California.

How to Build a “Featureless” AR15

If your eyes glazed over reading all that, we don’t blame you. The basic breakdown is this:

Your rifle cannot have a normal pistol grip (and a removable magazine), or any means of wrapping your thumb around something with the same angle as a pistol grip. So you'll have to opt for a 'fin grip' like the Megafin Featureless AR Grip from Strike Industries. A more traditional ‘rifle’ style grip that’s connected to the butt stock will also work. Any kind of easily adjustable stock is also considered an ‘assault feature’, so you need a fixed butt stock like the MOE Fixed Carbine Stock from Magpul that's depicted in the photo above.

You also cannot have a grenade or flare launcher, such as an M203. Flash-hiders are also considered assault features, as well as vertical grips (although angled grips are Kosher). Your rifle cannot have a fixed magazine capable of accepting more than 10 rounds, and be less than 30 inches in length. Following these rules are key to building a CA compliant AR 15 or CA compliant AR 10.

Moving onto what California DOJ considers as “Pistols”: A pistol in the State of California may not have a threaded barrel, a forward grip, a barrel shroud (think a MAC-10), and the ability to accept a magazine from a place besides the pistol grip. It is not impossible for a pistol to have a muzzle device, however the options are limited to permanent pin-welds, or muzzle devices attached through other means. The pistol also cannot have a fixed magazine capable of accepting more than 10 rounds. These laws were put into place to prevent law-abiding Californians from making AR or AK pistols primarily, but have done little to nothing to stop criminals from doing so (naturally).

Lastly, onto shotguns, in case you’re planning on doing an AR-12 build: A semi-automatic shotgun may not have an adjustable stock, a pistol grip or pistol-angled grip, or a vertical handguard. Semi-automatic shotguns may also not have detachable magazines, or revolving cylinders.

What Does a Featureless AR15 Look Like?

Depending on what parts you buy you might end up with a gun that looks like it belongs in Star Wars. A Ca compliant ar 15 will typically feature a more traditional rifle stock, like the one your grandfather has on his old bolt-gun, or a ‘fin grip’ if you still want a pistol-angled grip on your rifle. This way, a Californian can legally have detachable 10 round magazines. The muzzle devices will have to be pinned or welded to the barrel if the barrel itself is shorter than 16” but the muzzle device helps reach that length.

Ca compliant ar 10 and Ca compliant ar 15 rifles unfortunately will never be able to (legally) accept any kind of underbarrel devices like a Masterkey or a 40mm grenade or flare launcher. If a Californian wants a regular pistol grip, they will need to have a fixed magazine and no other “assault features”. One of the most popular featureless grips for a Ca compliant ar 15 is the Resurgent arms featureless ar 15 rifle grip, as it has a rifle-style grip without the rest of the rifle stock attached to the buffer tube.

Want to Start on Featureless Rifle?

Building a Ca compliant ar 15 or a Ca compliant ar 10 is simple with the variety of products we carry at Modulus Arms. We’ve been supplying Americans nationwide for over a decade, and our Router Jig Extreme is extremely capable of milling out 80 percent lower receivers for those looking to keep the government out of their hair. But, if you want to build a CA compliant rifle with our products that is completely your prerogative.