Well, people, we have one more chance to stop this thing. That's right, AB 962 has was approved by the Assembly this week by a vote of 42 to 31, and now goes to the Senate for a vote there. I am sorry to say that my Assembly Member, Jim Beall, voted in favor of this thing.
So, to reiterate, AB 962 proposes regulations on the purchase of handgun ammunition. All sales of ammunition greater than 50 rounds must take place in a face-to-face transaction, and the amount of ammunition purchased, and the identity of the purchaser (thumbprint, name, address and telephone number, driver's license number, date of birth) must be recorded.
This means that the purchase of ammunition through the internet will no longer be legal, and will probably stop.
Do you buy ammunition through the internet? I know that I do, because it is usually cheaper than purchases at gun shops. There are also decreasing numbers of gun shops that I can purchase ammunition from in my area. This law will also undoubtedly make ammunition more expensive.
Contact your state senator to log your opposition to this bill.
3 comments:
See below for a sample letter for your readers to use.
And here's a link to forward to your Democrat friends:
http://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/ca-dems-battle-alcohol-terrorism
Dear Senator Xxxxxxx,
I strongly urge you to oppose AB.962, the ill-conceived bill to regulate and oversee the sales of handgun ammunition.
I wholeheartedly support efforts to reduce gun violence in our communities but those efforts must not be allowed to suppress the rights and freedoms of law abiding citizens.
Felons are already prohibited from purchasing ammunition and this bill can do nothing to stop them from obtaining it in numerous other ways. Instead, purchasers of ammunition will be treated like criminals by having to submit their thumbprint, name, address, and telephone number into a permanent log for every single purchase.
Local police departments are given the authority to examine these sales records at any time, without a warrant (!), to see who has been making purchases and of what type of ammunition. This is a monumental invasion of privacy, made worse by the fact that the only records to review will be those of law abiding purchasers.
This bill will immediately create a new and lucrative blackmarket for ammunition. Anyone old enough and without a felony on their record can still lawfully purchase ammunition and then sell it for a tidy profit to the felons in their community. Nor does this bill prevent current work-arounds for felons - their girlfriends or family members can purchase the ammunition for them, or they can purchase it out of state. The only people the 50 round transfer limit will affect are, once again, the law abiding purchasers.
The authors of this bill claim that the program will pay for itself. If there are say 5,000 ammunition vendors in the state, it's absurd to think that a $50 annual license fee will somehow pay for an entirely new department in the DOJ. Furthermore, no one has examined the cost to local police departments for the continuous monitoring of ammunition sales. And monitor they must, or do the authors of this bill expect the program to work by spot-checking only? California is in dire economic straits and to burden taxpayers with additional costs for a law that will fail is the height of fiscal and legislative irresponsibility.
By requiring purchases to be in-person, this bill eliminates internet and mail order sales. This will result in vendors either ceasing the sale of ammunition due to the extreme regulatory requirements, or it will allow those vendors remaining in business to charge outlandish prices due to the absence of competition. Vendors typically have a narrow selection and anyone requiring even slightly uncommon ammunition or magazines will be left without any alternative. Yet again, only the lawful purchasers suffer by this law while the felons remain unaffected.
AB.962 is a very poorly crafted bill. It's also very disappointing that the author, Assemblymember DeLeon, continues to push his not-so-hidden agenda instead of attempting to build consensus towards a solution to gun violence that may actually work. If he had bothered to engage all parties affected by this proposal, the bill on your desks might be worth considering.
Sincerely,
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, CA
Swiss,
Thanks very much for your excellent post. The letter is a very good one, and I urge my readers to use it, or something similar. One note: snail mail letters are more effective than e-mail, and always be respectful and reasoned. Do not give reasons for people to think we are "right-wing gun nuts".
you can oppose this bill by calling 1-916-445-2841 its on the automated message system that means its important and will be easy to oppose by calling and listening to the correct promps (First press 1 then 2 then 2 then 2 to oppose) Call over and over again even if the line is busy you will get through after a few times and call more than once to oppose AB 962 you can call as many times and vote as you like also email the gov's office over and over make your self heard VETO AB 962.
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