My step father is looking into getting a rifle but has a couple questions I can't answer. I've looked all over but can't find anything.
1) "Can I carry my gun to the car or does it have to be in a lock box?"
You can carry it unlocked. * - See addendum below
2) "Where in the car can I put it? Can I toss it on the seat or behind the seat?" (he has a truck with a bench cab)
Anywhere you like. Long guns are not subject to the concealed weapon law, so you can hide it if you like.
3) "Does it have to be in a lockbox in the car?"
Nope. * - See addendum below
4) "Where can I keep the bullets when the gun is in the car?"
Anywhere except in the gun itself. Nothing chambered, nothing in the magazine. Loaded magazines may not be inserted into the magazine well.
I've looked all over and nothing says yes or no to either of these. Are there specific laws about rifles?
My answers above in red.
Most of California's laws regarding the transport of firearms deal with handguns and other firearms that the state deems "concealable". Rifles and shotguns do not fall into these categories. So you won't find much in the penal code about rifles and shotguns, because either the state doesn't care about them, or they just haven't gotten to them yet. The only rifles and shotguns that are subject to specific transport laws are those deemed to be Assault Weapons or .50 BMG rifles. I doubt if your father will be dealing with those.
* - While the state of California's Gun Free School Zone law does not generally apply to long guns, especially those being "transported", there is still a Federal Gun Free School Zone law that does apply to them. That law states that a locked container, a locked trunk, or a locked gun rack are adequate methods of securing long guns in school zones (within 1000 feet of any K-12 school). It is probably quite remote that one would be charged with that federal law by a state law enforcement agency, and even then, the prosecutor has to prove that the gun is somehow affecting interstate commerce. With the recent rulings in the
Heller and
McDonald cases, it is very likely that any challenge to the federal school zone law would succeed in striking it down forever. It has already been struck down once, but now there is the Second Amendment argument to use against it. If you father decides as I have that the federal law is of no consequence, then he may transport his rifles however he wishes. But he should know that the law exists and there is a chance he could be found in violation of it. If he has any doubts, it is best to stay away from any schools, or if that is not possible, to lock the guns in cases while transporting them.