The NRA-CRPA Foundation Legal Action Project ("LAP") has filed a lawsuit challenging AB 962 and the newly adopted statutes that regulate "handgun ammunition." The suit challenges the requirement that handgun ammunition be stored out of the reach of customers, the ammunition sales registration and fingerprinting requirements, and the bill’s prohibition on mail order and internet sales. The lawsuit alleges that the mandates of AB 962 are incomprehensible, and that the law’s definition of "handgun ammunition" is unconstitutionally vague.

The NRA/CRPA Foundation lawsuit has been in the works ever since AB 962 passed. A request for an injunction will be filed shortly, in an effort to stop the bill’s ammunition sales registration requirement and the ban on mail order ammunition purchases before those provisions take effect on February 1, 2011.

For months, LAP lawyers have worked to secure appropriate plaintiffs for this strategically-timed litigation. In a highly unusual move that reflects growing law enforcement opposition to ineffective gun control laws, Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Other plaintiffs include the CRPA Foundation, Herb Bauer Sporting Goods, ammunition shipper Able’s Ammo, collectible ammunition shipper RTG Collectibles, and individual Steven Stonecipher.

The lawsuit is being funded by the NRA / CRPA Foundation Legal Action Project (LAP). LAP is a joint venture between the Nation Rifle Association (NRA) and the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) to advance the rights of firearms owners in California. Through LAP, NRA/CRPA attorneys fight against ill-conceived gun control laws and ordinances, and educate state and local officials about available programs that are effective in reducing accidents and violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Sometimes the chances of success are greater when LAP's litigation efforts are kept low profile, so for now the details of this lawsuit are not being released. To see a partial list of the Legal Action Project’s recent accomplishments, click here. To contribute to the NRA / CRPAF Legal Action Project (LAP) and support this and similar Second Amendment cases, visit www.crpafoundation.org.