No, California law does not require ammunition on its own to be locked up. The criminal storage statute that carries jail time and fines targets firearms, not boxes of cartridges sitting on a shelf. That said, the California Attorney General recommends storing ammunition in a locked container separate from your firearm, certain people are barred from possessing ammunition at all, and ammunition loaded inside a firearm that a child can reach can send you to state prison. The gap between what’s legally required and what’s strongly advised is where people get into trouble.
What the Statute Actually Says
The law people cite on this question is Penal Code Section 25100, the “criminal storage of a firearm” statute. Read it closely and you’ll notice the word is firearm. The statute makes it a crime to keep any firearm on premises you control when you know or reasonably should know a child is likely to gain access without parental permission, and that child does gain access.1Justia Law. California Penal Code Chapter 2 – Criminal Storage of Firearm A loaded firearm includes the rounds inside it. A box of cartridges on a closet shelf, sitting apart from any gun, is not covered by this statute.
There is no companion Penal Code section called “criminal storage of ammunition.” The absence surprises people, but that’s what the code says. Ammunition enters the criminal picture in two other ways: when it’s loaded into a firearm a child can reach, and when a prohibited person possesses it. Both are covered by their own statutes.
What the Attorney General Recommends
State guidance goes further than state law. The California Attorney General’s firearm safety page tells owners to “store the ammunition separately in a locked container” and to keep the gun in a different location from the ammunition.2State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearm Safety
This is guidance, not an enforceable rule. It still carries weight. If a child, a guest, or a burglar ends up with your ammunition and a prosecutor is later assessing whether your household practices were reasonable, having followed the AG’s published advice puts you in a much better position than having ignored it. Treating ammo storage casually because Section 25100 doesn’t specifically name it is the kind of shortcut that looks bad in court and worse in a civil suit.
When Ammunition Storage Becomes a Crime
Loaded ammunition inside an accessible firearm is where the real criminal exposure sits. Section 25100 splits into two tiers based on what a child does after gaining access.
- First degree criminal storage applies when the child causes death or great bodily injury. It is punishable by 16 months, two years, or three years in state prison and a fine up to $10,000, or as a misdemeanor with up to one year in county jail and a fine up to $1,000.1Justia Law. California Penal Code Chapter 2 – Criminal Storage of Firearm
- Second degree criminal storage applies when the child carries the firearm off the premises to a public place or brandishes it. That’s a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.1Justia Law. California Penal Code Chapter 2 – Criminal Storage of Firearm
The statute contains several defenses. You are not liable if the child gained access through illegal entry, if the firearm was in a locked container or a location a reasonable person would consider secure, or if a locking device rendered the firearm inoperable.1Justia Law. California Penal Code Chapter 2 – Criminal Storage of Firearm Note that the statute is written around access by children, not adults or prohibited persons.
Who Cannot Possess Ammunition at All
For some people, the storage question doesn’t matter, because possessing the ammunition is itself the crime. Under Penal Code Section 30305, anyone prohibited from owning a firearm is also prohibited from owning, possessing, or having custody or control of any ammunition or reloaded ammunition. A violation is punishable by up to one year in county jail or state prison, a fine up to $1,000, or both.3California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30305
Federal law adds another layer. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922, ammunition possession is barred for people with felony convictions, fugitives from justice, unlawful users of controlled substances, those adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution, unlawfully present noncitizens and most nonimmigrant visa holders, people dishonorably discharged from the military, those subject to qualifying domestic violence restraining orders or misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, and former citizens who renounced U.S. citizenship.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts If any of these apply to you, possessing a single round is a separate offense no matter how it’s stored.
What Counts as a Locked Container
If you do lock up your ammunition, either because you want to follow the AG’s guidance or because a local rule requires it, California uses a specific definition. Penal Code Section 16850 describes a locked container as a secure container fully enclosed and locked by a padlock, key lock, combination lock, or similar device. A car trunk qualifies. A glove compartment or center console does not.5State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Transporting Firearms in California
In practical terms, a gun safe, a dedicated ammo lockbox, or any fully enclosed container with a working lock will meet the definition. A locked room on its own may not, because the statute contemplates a container rather than a space. The AG’s guidance suggests pairing a locking device on the firearm with a separate locked container for the ammunition.2State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearm Safety
Local Ordinances Can Require More
State law sets the floor. Cities and counties in California can and do impose stricter storage rules, and some of those local ordinances reach ammunition as well as firearms. Before deciding that your storage practices are fine because Section 25100 doesn’t mention loose ammo, check the ordinances for your city and county. Your local police department or city attorney’s office can tell you what applies at your address.
Transporting Ammunition in a Vehicle
California’s transport rules track the same pattern as its storage rules: they target the firearm, not the ammunition on its own. When you carry a firearm in a vehicle, it must be unloaded and kept in the trunk or a locked container.5State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Transporting Firearms in California Ammunition can travel loose in the car so long as it isn’t loaded into that firearm.
Practical advice runs ahead of the statute here. Keeping ammunition in a separate bag or container, away from any firearm in the vehicle, avoids the appearance that the two were staged together for quick loading. An officer who sees loose rounds sitting next to an unlocked firearm during a traffic stop is going to ask more questions than one who sees them stored apart.
The Bottom Line
California doesn’t order you to lock up your ammunition, but treating that silence as permission to be careless invites problems the statute doesn’t spell out. Ammunition loaded inside an accessible firearm triggers criminal storage penalties. Ammunition in the hands of a prohibited person is its own crime under both state and federal law. Local ordinances may impose lock-up requirements the state does not. And the Attorney General’s official recommendation, separate locked container away from the gun, is the standard a prosecutor or a civil jury will measure your habits against if something goes wrong. Following it costs little; ignoring it costs more than the statute alone suggests.