Do you need to be a US citizen to own a rifle in CA?

A foreign citizen with established permanent residence may purchase and own a firearm in the US.

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In addition certain temporary residents of the US may legally purchase a firearm- such as for hunting. However, they must have a hunting license first. This is listed in 18 USC 922- and usually overlooked. Permanent resident aliens (such as my wife) that have a "green card" are treated as a citizen when purchasing firearms.