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AB 962
"Ammunition Registry"
Author: Assemblyman Kevin De Leon (D)
Status: Signed by the Governors!
Description:
Update: October 11, 2009
Governor's Signing Message on AB 962:
To the Members of the California State Assembly:
I am signing Assembly Bill 962.
This measure would require vendors of handgun ammunition to keep a log of information on handgun ammunition sales, store ammunition in a safe and secure manner, and require the face-to-face transfer of ammunition sales.
Although I have previously vetoed legislation similar to this measure, local governments have demonstrated that requiring ammunition vendors to keep records on ammunition sales improves public safety. These records have allowed law enforcement to arrest and prosecute persons who have no business possessing firearms and ammunition: gang members, violent parolees, second and third strikers, and even people previously serving time in state prison for murder. Utilized properly, this type of information is invaluable for keeping communities safe and preventing dangerous felons from committing crimes with firearms.
Moreover, this type of recordkeeping is no more intrusive for law abiding citizens than similar laws governing pawnshops or the sale of cold medicine. Unfortunately, even the most successful local program is flawed; without a statewide law, felons can easily skirt the record keeping requirements of one city by visiting another. Assembly Bill 962 will fix this problem by mandating that all ammunition vendors in the state keep records on ammunition sales.
As Governor, I have sought the appropriate balance between public safety and the right to keep and bear arms. I have signed important public safety measures to regulate the sale and transfer of .50 caliber rifles, instituted the California Firearms License Check program, and promoted the use of microstamping technology in handguns. I have also vetoed many pieces of legislation that sought to place unreasonable restrictions and burdens on firearms dealers and ammunition vendors. Assembly Bill 962 reasonably regulates access to ammunition and improves public safety without placing undue burdens on consumers.
For these reasons, I am pleased to sign this bill.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Update - Friday, Sept. 11, the bill passed from Assembly Concurrence to the Governors desk. Write, call, fax, the Governor and ask for a VETO of this infamouse anti-gun owner bill.
Update - Thursday, August 27, 2009 Bill amended to meet Committee requirements, and voted out of Senate Appropriations Committee. Now bill goes to the floor of the Senate for a vote, although GOC believes the amendments in the bill are illegal.
Update - July 27,2009
Thursday, July 23, past midnight which really makes it Friday morning, July 24, AB 962 was placed in the suspense file of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 962 by Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon which calls for registration of handgun ammunition purchasers and dealers, and placing all ammunition behind counters in locked cases like spray paint and certain drugs, was scheduled for hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, July 23. The author waived his right to present his testimony on this because it was recommended for the suspense file. All bills with a cost of over $175,000 automatically go to the suspense file while the legislature figures out how much money they will have to spend on new programs. Once the legislators have a dollar figure, they prioritize and cherry pick which programs they can pay for out of the suspense file.
The Senate Appropriations Committee analysis showed that the bill had an undetermined cost to the state but that it was probably more than $175,000. GOC testified that there are approximately $652 million in sales of handgun ammunition annually in California. Also, that since Assemblyman DeLeon has stated that the impact on the sale of ammunition would be the same as the impact on spray paint and pharmaceutical products when they placed them behind counters and in locked cases, GOC learned from the paint and drug industry that they saw a drop of as much as 30% in sales of those products as a result of those actions. GOC testified that even with a conservative estimate of a similar drop in sales of handgun ammunition, CA would experience a loss of $11 to $12 million in sales tax revenue. The Senate Appropriations Committee saw that as significant and requested more information for their review.
[7/21/2009 Update] - Hearings and floor debates have been canceled this week, so that the legislators can settle the budget debaucle. The legislators recess begins Friday, July 24, 2009. They will resume both hearings and debates when they return and reconvene on August 17.
Did you note that! For a month now workers and vendors have been getting I OWE YOU's from the state. Yet when they want to recess, in a flash, a heartbeat, a momentary wink, they have finished the budget and it will be signed before they leave for vacation on Friday!
7/8/2009: Although several thousand private citizens, as well as many credible progun organizations and firearms dealers were in opposition to AB 962, the Democrat Senators, who are the majority on the Public Safety Committee passed the bill out. The next Committee will be Senate Appropriations.
Bill is again pulled from Senate PS Committee calendar, with no new date set as of July 2nd, 2009.
Bills hearing calendared for April April 21, 2009. Room 126 State Capitol building.
This bill requires: Registry data base for/and licensing of handgun ammunition vendors, back ground check for employees of ammo vendors, Ammunition out of sight so only vendors can handle sale, no mail-order ammunition, thumbprint of handgun ammo purchasers.
AB 962
More information: Assemblyman Kevin De Leon
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