Hunters in California should strongly opposing legislation introduced by Assembly Member Nancy Skinner (D/15th-Berkeley)
excerpt:
This bill would require anyone in the state, prior to selling, transferring, or otherwise furnishing selling or otherwise transferring ownership of any ammunition to an individual or business entity in this state or any other state to possess a license to sell ammunition or a license to sell firearms, as provided, to require proper identification, as prescribed, to be an authorized firearms dealer, and to prescribed, and to report the sales to the Department of Justice.
The bill, AB 48, would place an unreasonable burden on law-abiding hunters and shooters by, for example, making it illegal for a firearms instructor or Hunter Education Instructor to hand a student ammunition while at the shooting range, or even a parent to hand their son or daughter ammunition while in the duck blind, due to the "otherwise transferring ownership of any ammunition" statement in this poorly written bill.
If you are in doubt as to who it affects this is the excerpt from the amended penal code:
(h) For purposes of this section, an “ammunition purchaser” includes any individual or business entity who receives ammunition, whether by sale or transfer, or is otherwise furnished with ammunition.
The bill was first heard in Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 2nd. California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, California's foremost defender of our hunting privileges, provided testimony at the hearing, but the bill passed out of committee following a commitment by the author to work on amendments which address the serious concerns brought forth by COHA and others.
This bill could kill the future of hunting & shooting in California!
It is imperative that hunters in California unite and contact legislators as soon as possible letting them know how poorly written and conceived this bill is.
If you are active in firearms training, explain how this can and would create undue problems for the training of anyone in the responsible, safe and correct use of firearms whether for hunting or target shooting.
excerpt:
The bill would allow a person to request a license to sell ammunition from the Department of Justice, would require the department to conduct a background check to determine if the applicant is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm, and would require the department to issue a license to sell ammunition to an applicant if the applicant is not prohibited. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to recover the costs of administering the program by imposing a fee on applicants.
As can be seen from above, all instructors would have to obtain such a license, and as such, a business license in the town they live or conduct classes, to conduct the transfer of ammunition, imposing greater expense on the shooting sports. Remember we hunters and shooters already pay an excise tax on all firearms and ammunition sold under the Pittman-Robertson act.
If the goal of Assembly Member Nancy Skinner and the proponents of this bill is to eliminate all forms of firearm training, such that they create a situation whereby we have all new firearms owners self teaching and thereby endangering the rest of society, then tell them to vote for the bill.
If they want to protect society, then they should vote against this bill.
For a closer look at the bill and the amended penal code and check here
Act now! Here is a list of California State assembly members, write, text, call, email them and let them know how unreasonable and poorly written this bill is.
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