California Penal Code Section 12021.5

CA Penal Code § 12021.5 (2017)  

(a) Every person who carries a loaded or unloaded firearm on his or her person, or in a vehicle, during the commission or attempted commission of any street gang crimes described in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 186.22, shall, upon conviction of the felony or attempted felony, be punished by an additional term of imprisonment in the state prison for one, two, or three years. The court shall select the sentence enhancement that, in the court’s discretion, best serves the interests of justice and shall state the reasons for its choice on the record at the time of sentence, in accordance with subdivision (d) of Section 1170.1.

(b) Every person who carries a loaded or unloaded firearm together with a detachable shotgun magazine, a detachable pistol magazine, a detachable magazine, or a belt-feeding device on his or her person, or in a vehicle, during the commission or attempted commission of any street gang crimes described in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 186.22, shall, upon conviction of the felony or attempted felony, be punished by an additional term of imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years. The court shall select the sentence enhancement that, in the court’s discretion, best serves the interests of justice and shall state the reasons for its choice on the record at the time of sentence, in accordance with subdivision (d) of Section 1170.1.

(c) As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Detachable magazine” means a device that is designed or redesigned to do all of the following:

(A) To be attached to a rifle that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(B) To be attached to, and detached from, a rifle that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(C) To feed ammunition continuously and directly into the loading mechanism of a rifle that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(2) “Detachable pistol magazine” means a device that is designed or redesigned to do all of the following:

(A) To be attached to a semiautomatic firearm that is not a rifle or shotgun that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(B) To be attached to, and detached from, a firearm that is not a rifle or shotgun that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(C) To feed ammunition continuously and directly into the loading mechanism of a firearm that is not a rifle or a shotgun that is designed or redesigned to fire ammunition.

(3) “Detachable shotgun magazine” means a device that is designed or redesigned to do all of the following:

(A) To be attached to a firearm that is designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell through a smooth or rifled bore.

(B) To be attached to, and detached from, a firearm that is designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell through a smooth bore.

(C) To feed fixed shotgun shells continuously and directly into the loading mechanism of a firearm that is designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell.

(4) “Belt-feeding device” means a device that is designed or redesigned to continuously feed ammunition into the loading mechanism of a machinegun or a semiautomatic firearm.

(5) “Rifle” shall have the same meaning as specified in Section 17090.

(6) “Shotgun” shall have the same meaning as specified in Section 17190.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2022, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends that date.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 887, Sec. 11) by Stats. 2017, Ch. 561, Sec. 196. (AB 1516) Effective January 1, 2018. Repealed as of January 1, 2022, by its own provisions. See later operative version, as amended by Sec. 12 of Stats. 2016, Ch. 887.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018