New bill could make it harder to purchase ammunition

Posted: Jan 11, 2013 5:40 PM by Cameron Polom, KSBY News
Updated: Jan 11, 2013 8:30 PM

A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that could affect every firearm owner in the state

Calls for action are echoing across the nation in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings.
One California lawmaker has introduced a bill that could affect every firearm owner in the state by making it harder to buy ammunition.

It's not the first time a bill like this has cycled through Congress. In 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law requiring all handgun ammunition sales in the state to be made face-to-face and include a fingerprint from the buyer.
However, the courts struck it down, saying it was too vague. Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner says it proved such bills can win passage in congress.

John Perry, owner of Range Master in San Luis Obispo, says tracking every bullet that is sold is a waste of money and time.

"There are laws in place that should take care of this," said Perry.

He says someone who's motivated to commit a crime with a firearm will find a way around this bill.

"They could actually go out of state if they really wanted to," said Perry.

They could also go online. Neither state nor federal law prohibits online ammunition sales.

However, many people say something has to be done to curb gun violence.
The bill shapes up like this:

Sellers would have to be licensed and people buying ammunition must show ID.
The sellers would also be required to report all sales to the California Department of Justice and the department must notify local law enforcement of any big purchases.

But Perry says lawmakers are shooting blanks when it comes to this bill.

"To have to put more paper work on us is actually going to be detrimental to us," said Perry.

He says they're already buried in paperwork as it is and more would only make it harder to do business.

"We can't hire enough people to do what they want us to do and be profitable," said Perry.

Nancy Skinner, the writer of the bill, acknowledges that it will be difficult to pass, but says buying bullets should require the same scrutiny as buying guns.

"The people making the laws need to speak to people who are implementing the laws which would be us," said Perry, "and have a one-on-one, for more than ten or fifteen minutes, they need to come in and actually see how it's done."

Another bill making its way through the California Senate would require anyone purchasing ammunition in the state to first obtain a purchase permit from the Justice Department.