Ammunition Sales Restrictions, Gun Show Ban Moving Forward in California

Please Stand-Up and Make Your Voices Heard!

Yesterday, the Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 585 by a 21-18 vote.  SB585 now heads to the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for his consideration.

SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California.  Introduced by State Senator Mark Leno (D-3), 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. 

The Senate also passed Assembly Bill 962 yesterday by a 21-18 vote.  AB962 will now return to the Assembly for concurrence.

As we reported earlier this week, AB962 was amended by the Senate in an effort to make the bill easier to pass.  It remains, however, a serious threat to our rights.

The Senate removed a requirement that ammunition retailers be licensed to sell ammunition.  In addition, the bill would no longer prohibit the private transfer of more than 50 rounds of ammunition during a 30 day period.  

Despite these changes to the bill, AB962 is still unacceptable and represents a dire threat to our ability to exercise our Second Amendment rights. Ammunition retailers would still have to store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The bill still requires that individuals purchasing ammunition be fingerprinted at the time of sale, mandates that dealers keep these records and make them available for inspection by the Department of Justice.  Finally, mail order ammunition sales are still prohibited under AB962.