Any recommendations for a gun store with affordable PPT fee in LA county and around area?

[BigBlaze]

NOT TRUE AT ALL!

Yesterday (Saturday) I bought 2 used guns from the same private seller and did a 2 gun PPT on the same DROS at 2A Zone Upland. They charged me the following below.

DROS Fee: $37.19
2 x PPT fee ($10 each gun): $20
Disposition Fee for 2 guns: $60 <-------- This fee totally threw me off!
3% Credit Card Fee: $3.52

Grand total I paid was $120.71

I was expecting to pay the DROS fee of $37.19 and the PPT fee of $20 for the 2 guns for a total of $67.19. I had to pay the extra $3.52 (3%) credit card fee as I only had $70 cash on me and didn't have enough to cover the $117.19 total fees. I was totally shocked when they charged me the additional $60 "Disposition Fee". 2A Zone Upland staff told me that the Disposition Fee is "Paperwork" fees and they normally charge it. I have never heard or experienced an FFL charge this kind of fees before and don't even know that it is even legal to charge this. I did a similar 2 guns PPT a few months at GunsLA in Burbank and they only charged me $67.19 total. I was very tempted to go to another FFL, but I was pressed for time and needed to go back to Santa Clarita where I live. The drive to Upland 2A Zone was close to 1.5 hours each way for me and of course I have to do it 2 more times when I pick-up the guns after the 10 day waiting period. BTW, the 2A Zone staff who took care of us told me all the fees right after both the seller and I had already completed all the DROS paperwork/fingerprinting etc. and not before we started. I know PPTs are a time consuming, non money making, inconvenience for the FFL, but this is a necessary legal part required of their business to do.

I think I got price gouged, what do you think? It felt I was paying a 2A Zone sin tax. One positive thing to mention is that the staff there are nice and polite.

Word to the wise, I would call before you go to any 2A Zone stores or any FFL stores for that matter to find out what they exactly charge and not get sticker shocked like the way I did beforehand.

What the hell is a Disposition fee? Ive never heard of that one before.

 

[liquid_torch]

NOT TRUE AT ALL!

Yesterday (Saturday) I bought 2 used guns from the same private seller and did a 2 gun PPT on the same DROS at 2A Zone Upland. They charged me the following below.

DROS Fee: $37.19
2 x PPT fee ($10 each gun): $20
Disposition Fee for 2 guns: $60 <-------- This fee totally threw me off!
3% Credit Card Fee: $3.52

Grand total I paid was $120.71

I was expecting to pay the DROS fee of $37.19 and the PPT fee of $20 for the 2 guns for a total of $67.19. I had to pay the extra $3.52 (3%) credit card fee as I only had $70 cash on me and didn't have enough to cover the $117.19 total fees. I was totally shocked when they charged me the additional $60 "Disposition Fee". 2A Zone Upland staff told me that the Disposition Fee is "Paperwork" fees and they normally charge it. I have never heard or experienced an FFL charge this kind of fees before and don't even know that it is even legal to charge this. I did a similar 2 guns PPT a few months at GunsLA in Burbank and they only charged me $67.19 total. I was very tempted to go to another FFL, but I was pressed for time and needed to go back to Santa Clarita where I live. The drive to Upland 2A Zone was close to 1.5 hours each way for me and of course I have to do it 2 more times when I pick-up the guns after the 10 day waiting period. BTW, the 2A Zone staff who took care of us told me all the fees right after both the seller and I had already completed all the DROS paperwork/fingerprinting etc. and not before we started. I know PPTs are a time consuming, non money making, inconvenience for the FFL, but this is a necessary legal part required of their business to do.

I think I got price gouged, what do you think? It felt I was paying a 2A Zone sin tax. One positive thing to mention is that the staff there are nice and polite.

Word to the wise, I would call before you go to any 2A Zone stores or any FFL stores for that matter to find out what they exactly charge and not get sticker shocked like the way I did beforehand.

I’ve done PPT’s all over Socal and never been charged a fee like that. I won’t be doing my PPT’s there.

 

[Unbend]

What the hell is a Disposition fee? Ive never heard of that one before.

It's illegal for them to charge that.

@t5dude You should leave a review on the FFL with your experience. https://caguns.net/ffls/

Hi guys!

Im looking for a gun store with low processing fee to do a PPT around LA and San Fernando Valley. All the FFL’s near my zipcode recently charge for like $120-150 and thats ridiculous. The real fee isnt cost that much if you do some research. I know a store in Garden Grove which will do for $45 but its quite a distance for me to drive nearly 1h30mins.

Thank you very much!

There is a legal maximum on the fees for a Private Party Transfer (PPT) in California is $47.19, which includes a $37.19 DROS fee plus a $10 dealer fee for each firearm. An FFL may not legally impose any additional fees beyond those allowed by law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Firearms Dealers Links to Topics below General FAQs DROS Entry System (DES) Internet Process AB 1872/2165/2699 Dealer FAQs General FAQs What are California's licensing requirements for firearms dealers? How much is the annual Centralized List fee and when must it be paid? What is a...

oag.ca.gov

What fees can a dealer charge for handling a Private Party Transfer or a Peace Officer Non-Roster Handgun Private Party Transfer?
In addition to the state fees ($37.19), the dealer may charge up to $10.00 per firearm for conducting a Private Party Transfer or a Peace Officer Non-Roster Handgun Private Party Transfer.

• For example: Fees for a Private Party Transfer involving one or more firearms are calculated as follows: the total allowable fees are $47.19 for the first firearm ($37.19 in state fees and a $10.00 Private Party Transfer fee), and $10.00 for each subsequent firearm.

(Pen. Code, § 28055)

Report the FFLs to the OAG: https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/contact
"Firearms dealer violation - excessive Private Party Transfer fee under Penal Code § 28055"

AFAIK that's a civil "violation of a statutory duty" if the dealer collected fees expressly prohibited by statute. Seems reasonable to take them to small claims over it. Should be slam dunk with receipts given it was violating CA penal code.

 

[RocketF22]

$120 to $150 is ridiculous for a PPT.

GunsLA in Burbank is good to go. They charge $47 and sum change for a PPT

These guys are my go to

 

[Unbend]

GunsDirect in Burbank. $10 transfer fee plus $37.50 for dros.

I had GunsDirect in Burbank attempt to charge me $100 per firearm instead of $10.
They backed down after pointing out the CA penal code maximum.

 

[BigBlaze]

These guys are my go to

It's also my go to for that area. And they take walk ins no appointment needed.
The only catch is if the PPT is a pistol you have to have at least one 10rd mag with the gun. I'm not sure why but it's their store policy.

 

[t5dude]

It's also my go for that area. And they take walk ins no appointment needed.
The only catch is if the PPT is a pistol you have to have at least one 10rd mag with the gun. I'm not sure why but it's their store policy.

The 2 pistols I PPT 'd both had cable locks and the factory 10 round mags. So they wouldn't be able charge me on those.

 

[t5dude]

It's illegal for them to charge that.

@t5dude You should leave a review on the FFL with your experience. https://caguns.net/ffls/




There is a legal maximum on the fees for a Private Party Transfer (PPT) in California is $47.19, which includes a $37.19 DROS fee plus a $10 dealer fee for each firearm. An FFL may not legally impose any additional fees beyond those allowed by law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Firearms Dealers Links to Topics below General FAQs DROS Entry System (DES) Internet Process AB 1872/2165/2699 Dealer FAQs General FAQs What are California's licensing requirements for firearms dealers? How much is the annual Centralized List fee and when must it be paid? What is a...

oag.ca.gov

Report the FFLs to the OAG: https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/contact
"Firearms dealer violation - excessive Private Party Transfer fee under Penal Code § 28055"

AFAIK that's a civil "violation of a statutory duty" if the dealer collected fees expressly prohibited by statute. Seems reasonable to take them to small claims over it. Should be slam dunk with receipts given it was violating CA penal code.

I'm thinking on doing that. Thanks for the link.

 

[BigBlaze]

I'm thinking on doing that. Thanks for the link.

I would wait till after you pick up your two guns first. Then report them if you choose to do so.

 

[t5dude]

I would wait till after you pick up your two guns first. Then report them if you choose to do so.

Good advice. Thanks!

 

[Unbend]

It's also my go to for that area. And they take walk ins no appointment needed.
The only catch is if the PPT is a pistol you have to have at least one 10rd mag with the gun. I'm not sure why but it's their store policy.

Ah, that's a gotcha there actually.

There is a requirement for "demonstrating safe handling" of the firearm, which would generally require a magazine to be present to show the load/unload portion of that.
That doesn't automatically mean you have to buy a magazine. A lot of dealers happen to have a floor model magazine laying around.

California though does not have a requirement that a PPT must include a magazine. It's a pretty silly situation.

 

[BigBlaze]

Good advice. Thanks!

The last thing you want is them to start charging you a storage fee for your firearms. As revenge

 

[t5dude]

The last thing you want is them to start charging you a storage fee for your firearms. As revenge

Very true.

 

[t5dude]

We charge 10 plus dros for ppt

NOT TRUE AT ALL!

Yesterday (Saturday) I bought 2 used guns from the same private seller and did a 2 gun PPT on the same DROS at 2A Zone Upland. They charged me the following below.

DROS Fee: $37.19
2 x PPT fee ($10 each gun): $20
Disposition Fee for 2 guns: $60 <-------- This fee totally threw me off!
3% Credit Card Fee: $3.52

Grand total I paid was $120.71

I was expecting to pay the DROS fee of $37.19 and the PPT fee of $20 for the 2 guns for a total of $57.19. I had to pay the extra $3.52 (3%) credit card fee as I only had $70 cash on me and didn't have enough to cover the $117.19 total fees. I was totally shocked when they charged me the additional $60 "Disposition Fee". 2A Zone Upland staff told me that the Disposition Fee is "Paperwork" fees and they normally charge it. I have never heard or experienced an FFL charge this kind of fees before and don't even know that it is even legal to charge this. I did a similar 2 guns PPT a few months ago at GunsLA in Burbank and they only charged me $57.19 total. I was very tempted to go to another FFL, but I was pressed for time and needed to go back to Santa Clarita where I live. The drive to Upland 2A Zone was close to 1.5 hours each way for me and of course I have to do it 2 more times when I pick-up the guns after the 10 day waiting period. BTW, the 2A Zone staff who took care of us told me all the fees right after both the seller and I had already completed all the DROS paperwork/fingerprinting etc. and not before we started. I know PPTs are a time consuming, non money making, inconvenience for the FFL, but this is a necessary legal part required of their business to do.

I think I got price gouged, what do you think? It felt I was paying a 2A Zone sin tax. One positive thing to mention is that the staff there are nice and polite.

Word to the wise, I would call before you go to any 2A Zone stores or any FFL stores for that matter to find out what they exactly charge and not get sticker shocked like the way I did.

 

[MattB]

IMO, it is important that LGS is compensated for their time, cost of building and licensure and insurance, etc. I want them to stay in business. Anyone who takes the initive to start a business, puts in the hours, capitol investment and accepts the risk deserves to be better compensated than someone who punches a timeclock in and out every day. The question is: what is a reasonable compensation?

Reasonable compensation is the elimination of the unconstitutional “roster” and a refund of the excessive fees the state has charged to try to make firearms ownership prohibitively expensive. The DROS fee is theft and restricting what California FFLs can sell is a gross insult to our rights.

 

[lilkidx]

If you're in SGV, I could point you to a couple. Sorry this happened to you, it's frustrating, for some dealers, even if you show them the CA DOJ paperwork, they will still scoff at you and proceed accordingly. I recently had to fight with a dealer to accept my FFL03 + COE to be exempt from the 3 in 30 and the multiple firearms in one transaction.

When I PPT or DROS with my preferred dealers, I always pick up a little something more, just to make it a little more worth their time.

 

[five.five-six]

Reasonable compensation is the elimination of the unconstitutional “roster” and a refund of the excessive fees the state has charged to try to make firearms ownership prohibitively expensive. The DROS fee is theft and restricting what California FFLs can sell is a gross insult to our rights.

Agreed. Imagine if the state required proof of residency, passage of a literacy test and a poll tax in order to vote?

California must have asked Jim Crow how to write firearms legislation.

 

[t5dude]

If you're in SGV, I could point you to a couple. Sorry this happened to you, it's frustrating, for some dealers, even if you show them the CA DOJ paperwork, they will still scoff at you and proceed accordingly. I recently had to fight with a dealer to accept my FFL03 + COE to be exempt from the 3 in 30 and the multiple firearms in one transaction.

When I PPT or DROS with my preferred dealers, I always pick up a little something more, just to make it a little more worth their time.

I know how hard it is to do business especially in the firearms business in California. Us owners also have a hard time keeping up with the ever changing laws here as well. I did buy a $2000 new SSE gun from them in mid 2025 and bought mags and other accessories from them as well. This was my first PPT with them and will most definitely be the last. Which I think why they charge these fees to disway PPT transaction as much as possible. They are using people like me to send a clear message to others they do not want to do it. It is unfortunate that they need to charge these bogus fees to stay open and it is not how you want to treat a return customer that lives 140+ miles roundtrip from them.

 

[t5dude]

Reasonable compensation is the elimination of the unconstitutional “roster” and a refund of the excessive fees the state has charged to try to make firearms ownership prohibitively expensive. The DROS fee is theft and restricting what California FFLs can sell is a gross insult to our rights.

Agreed!

 

[Unbend]

I know how hard it is to do business especially in the firearms business in California. Us owners also have a hard time keeping up with the ever changing laws here as well. I did buy a $2000 new SSE gun from them in mid 2025 and bought mags and other accessories from them as well. This was my first PPT with them and will most definitely be the last. Which I think why they charge these fees to disway PPT transaction as much as possible. They are using people like me to send a clear message to others they do not want to do it. It is unfortunate that they need to charge these bogus fees to stay open and it is not how you want to treat a return customer that lives 140+ miles roundtrip from them.

There's really no excuse for an FFL01 not knowing how to handle the FFL03+COE exception for the 3-in-30 rule.
It's a checkbox/dropdown with description right on the DROS form. All they need to do is read what's already in front of them.

Same FFL03+COE also gives you an exemption to the 10 day waiting period, even from a dealer, when purchasing a firearm that is C&R eligible.



I have had an FFL01 (one of the employees) say they couldn't release my 4 firearms to me after the 10 day period because "that's not a thing".
Another employee had to keep telling them it was for a couple minutes.
It even said it right on the DROS like above.