Schwarzenegger signs AB 962 Ammo Registration Bill

Posted on 10-12-2009

Schwarzenegger Signs Ammunition Registration Bill (AB 962)!

On Sunday, October 11, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 962, a program that was proven to be a massive failure for 18 years nationwide.

From 1968 to 1986, Ammunition registration was the law of the land nationwide. After 18 years, the federal government dumped the program because it proved to be completely ineffective as a crime fighting tool. AB 962 was watered down during the last few days of the session to be a virtual duplicate of the failed federal program except it required the addition of a thumbprint with the registration.

The registration information is kept by the ammo vendor and is made available for inspection by law enforcement. The information is not transmitted to anyone so a law enforcement officer has to physically visit the vendor and look at the registrations. How the officer will recognize a prohibited person is a mystery. Will they profile registrants based on name, race or address? Shall they investigate folks who buy quantities of ammo (one brick of 22 LR is 500 rounds)? Who knows!

This bill also creates a virtual ban on the mail order purchases of ammo, magazines, clips and other items defined as ammo under this bill. GOC has been working for several weeks with the interstate shipping companies about this and are looking at taking legal action to invalidate this bill because of violations of interstate commerce and federal preemption on regulating shippers as has already be decided in a case tried in the state of Maine. No matter what, AB 962 cannot prevent the U.S. Postal Service from shipping ammunition components into California.

The provision that requires vendors to keep ammunition locked up like spray paint and pharmaceuticals will cause many vendors to stop selling ammo. They will not be able to afford dedicated employees to jump through all the hoops required by this bill. Some will go out of business and some will just stop selling ammo. That's probably the goal of the author and sponsors of this bill.

Finally, it is no secret that the Governor is trading signatures for support for his water crisis solutions. This would be a reward for Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon and the Latino Caucus who is working with the Latino Water Coalition to solve California's Water problems.

Although Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 41(More signature when buying firearms) and SB 585 (Gun Show Ban at the Cow Palace), he has proven to be the most anti-Second Amendment Governor to ever serve in California buy signing AB 962.

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

Governor's Veto Messsage on SB 41:

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 41 without my signature.

This measure would require the Department of Justice (Department) to furnish, upon request, information concerning a person's ownership of any firearms reported to the Department. In addition, this measure would also require firearms dealers and purchasers to provide signatures on extra copies of paperwork prior to the delivery of a firearm.

This measure is unnecessary. The Department already provides firearm ownership information upon request and firearms transactions already require more than enough paperwork to ensure proper recordation of firearm transaction information. Indeed, unlike Senate Bills 175 & 449, which I am signing, this measure does not appear to have any discernible benefit; it does not increase public safety, does not improve the business climate for California's firearms retailers, nor does it provide any additional protections for firearm purchasers.

Moreover, it should be noted that Assembly Concurrent Resolution 73 (McCarthy, 2006) required the California Law Revision Commission to submit recommendations to the Legislature on how to reduce the length and complexity of Title 2 (commencing with Section 12000) of Part 4 of the Penal Code, relating to the control of deadly weapons.

Senate Bill 41, unfortunately, does not follow any of the recommendations by the Commission and instead exacerbates the current problems with the Penal Code.

I urge the Legislature to forgo enacting additional measures such as Senate Bill 41 until the recommendations of the California Law Revision Commission are enacted.

For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Governor's Veto Message on SB 585:

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 585 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition at the Cow Palace. This bill would set a confusing precedent at the state level by statutorily prohibiting one District Agricultural Association (DAA) from selling firearms and ammunition, a legal and regulated activity, while allowing other DAAs to continue to do so. In addition, this bill would result in decreased state and local tax revenues by restricting events at the Cow Palace.

For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger