As has been reported elsewhere, the California Legislature passed AB 962, which creates new restrictions on the sale or delivery of ammunition in California. The latest version isn’t nearly as bad as the original version (which, for instance, limited transfers to 50 rounds a month), but the one thing that concerns me the most is that it might make it illegal to buy ammunition online. The bill says:
the delivery or transfer of ownership of handgun ammunition may only occur in a face-to-face transaction, with the deliverer or transferor being provided bona fide evidence of identity of the purchaser or other transferee.
Ok, so that doesn’t sound so bad. The deliverer has to be provided an ID at the time of delivery, so instead of the UPS man leaving boxes of ammo at my door step, they have to hand it to me personally and check my ID. That’s sensible, right? Except…
a vendor shall not sell or otherwise transfer ownership of any handgun ammunition without , at the time of delivery , legibly recording the following information: (A) The date of the sale or other transaction. (B) The purchaser's or transferee's driver's license or other identification number and the state in which it was issued. (C) The brand, type, and amount of ammunition sold or otherwise transferred. (D) The purchaser's or transferee's signature. (E) The name of the salesperson who processed the sale or other transaction. (F) The right thumbprint of the purchaser or transferee on the above form. (G) The purchaser's or transferee's full residential address and telephone number. (H) The purchaser's or transferee's date of birth.
So the “vendor” has to get all this information “at the time of delivery.” I’m no lawyer, but if I had to interpret this literally, well, I think it means we can’t buy ammo online unless the vendor wants to deliver it to me personally and collect all this information. In theory, the UPS man could get all this information, but I’m not sure that counts as the vendor getting the information at the time of delivery, unless the UPS man beams all that info to the vendor and waits for confirmation before handing me the box… or something. In any case, as written, the bill sounds like it makes it nearly impossible to mail-order ammo without breaking the law.
So, that’s my beef with AB 962. We can’t buy ammo online, and frankly, if we can’t buy ammo online, we can’t buy ammo period, because local shops sure as hell don’t have any ammo in stock. Hell, I drove across the country, stopping at every Wal-Mart I saw, and it wasn’t until I went all the way across then most of the way back that I found some 9mm at a Wal-Mart in Cody, WY.
Well, that’s one half of my beef. I’m not entirely opposed to gun control laws if I think it’ll work, and it doesn’t make it impossible for responsible citizens to enjoy the shooting sports. But this particular bill won’t do squat to curb crime. A person could legally purchase ammunition, then use the legally purchased ammunition to commit a crime. Oops. Or, if you’re a hard core criminal (whatever that means), you can probably buy ammunition from illegal channels because, well, being a criminal and all, you probably don’t care about buying ammunition through legal channels. Oops. So, yeah, here’s a bill with all downside and no upside.
Fortunately, there’s still a sliver of hope. The Governator can, in theory, veto the bill. You can prod him into vetoing this bill online, by phone (916) 445-2841, by fax (916) 558-3160, and for good measure, via Twitter.
I, too, buy most of my ammo online, because I can buy the same ammo, cheaper, delivered to my door than what might or might not be available locally.
Case in point…Wolf 55gr FMJ .223 – online $269/1000 delivered, locally $436/1000…do the math. I have to sign a waiver and provide a copy of my CDL to the online sales people. But I am honest and can’t be trusted by the anti’s.
Write or send an email to Arnie and demand a veto of AB 962 and SB585 as they are headed to the governors desk.
Here is the link and what I sent, feel free to copy and paste.
http://govnews.ca.gov/govmail/webmail.php
Gov. Scwartzennegar, I appeal to you to do what is right for your fellow Californians and Veto the following bills as they reach your desk.
On Friday, September 11, the California Assembly passed Assembly Bill 962 by a 44-31 vote. AB962 now joins Senate Bill 585 on the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) where they await his consideration.
AB962 requires individuals purchasing ammunition be fingerprinted and registered at the time of sale, mandates that dealers keep these records and make them available for inspection by the California Department of Justice. Ammunition retailers would also have to store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. Finally, mail order ammunition sales are prohibited under AB962. Over twenty years ago, Congress abolished similar requirements because ammunition sales records were found to be useless for solving crimes. AB962 is a dire threat to our Second Amendment rights in the Golden State.
SB585 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco. Simply put, SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California.
These bills are not about prohibiting or solving crimes, but about restricting the lawful citizen and continuing the backdoor attacks on our 2nd Amendment rights and the Constitution by the anti-gun movement.
I respectfully urge you to veto AB962 and SB585 for these reasons and let history recognize your legacy as one that does support the American citizens rights as provided by The Constitution of The United States of America.
Yup, I’ve already sent him a comment online. I was going to post what I sent, but I forgot to keep a copy (and once you send it, it appears you can’t see what you sent).
This bill is truly idiotic and anti-constitutional, poorly thought out and will not do a thing to stop criminals from getting ammo but it will make it very hard on us law abiding gun owners….write Arnold…again and again….
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.” William Pitt, 1783
There’s a very active grass-roots effort underway at Calguns.net to contact the Governor urging defeat of AB 962 (and SB 585, the Cow Palace gun show ban). Please write the Gov. Schwarzenegger and urge him to veto this bill — he’s our last chance to avoid another huge insult to our Second Amendment rights.
Not only will AB 962 effectively ban Internet ammo sales, it will also further accelerate the isolation of California from the rest of the U.S. Already, many individuals and dealers won’t sell or ship guns or accessories to California — between fear, uncertainty and doubt (some created purposely by our DOJ), and yet more paperwork, most just prefer not to deal with the hassle. AB 962 will be yet another (and possibly the final) nail in the coffin of individual rights in California.
Thanks for bring this up. I posted a new entry with more information on how to get involved.
next would be a background check, waiting period and of course, a tax, ah, er ah,,,,,,I mean a f,f,f,f, fee
yeah, a fee, not a tax
yeah, we can make so much money on the gun nut crowd, huh Mister De Leon ?
Personally, I don’t take the slippery slope argument. I’d like to consider each bill one at a time, and weigh its merits and demerits. But that’s just me. I certainly won’t claim that we’re not fighting an uphill battle, in terms of public support for gun ownership, or that we won’t see more and more increasingly restrictive legislation.
[…] 23, 2009 by ryochiji In my previous post about AB 962, commenter “glen” pointed out: There’s a very active grass-roots effort underway at […]
Ammunition retailers would also have to store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. Finally, mail order ammunition sales are prohibited under AB962. Over twenty years ago, Congress abolished similar requirements because ammunition sales records were found to be useless for solving crimes. AB962 is a dire threat to our Second Amendment rights in the Golden State.
Originally, NRA and Assemblyman Hagman planned to amend AB 373 as the vehicle for this legislation. However, due to details of the legislative process, the decision was made to introduce AB 1663, a new bill. Please continue to send in old petitions if you have them as all petitions submitted under the old bill number will still be valid after this technical change.
http://www.calnra.com/petition/