AMMUNITION LICENSING MEASURE INTRODUCED CRACKING DOWN ON KITCHEN TABLE AMMUNITION DEALERS TO KEEP BULLETS OUT OF HANDS OF CRIMINALS, GANG-BANGERS

The California State Assembly Democratic Caucus issued the following news release:

Responding to a surge of gun violence across the state and rising gang violence involving firearms, Assistant Assembly Majority Leader Kevin de Le�n today, joined by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, announced the introduction of legislation to, for the first time, regulate handgun ammunition sales in California. Currently, there are no regulations concerning the distribution and sale of handgun ammunition-creating significant opportunities for criminals and kids to purchase ammunition in gun shops and sporting goods stores with little to no scrutiny.

"In a state where there are more guns than people, we need to ensure that criminals and kids can't simply walk into a sporting goods store and stock up on cases of handgun ammunition to unload from the barrel of a gun in our neighborhoods," said Assistant Majority Leader Kevin de Le�n. "It's absolutely illogical that there are no safeguards to ensure ammunition dealers aren't peddling bullets to kids and criminals in our communities."

After some years of declining violent crime, according to the Department of Justice, gun violence is once again on the rise plaguing California with an increase of over 34% in six years-from 1999 to 2005. In Los Angeles alone, between 2005 and 2006 the LA Sheriff's office handled 668 murders involving firearms-over 80% of their total homicides.

A recent RAND Corporation study found that in just a two month period in Los Angeles, felons purchased over 10,000 rounds of ammunition from neighborhood gun shops and sporting goods stores. RAND reported that "guns and ammunition possessed by felons and others prohibited from owning weapons are more likely to be used in violent crimes than weapons bought by people with no criminal histories."

"Today in California it's much easier to buy a case of handgun ammunition than a can of spray paint," said Assistant Majority Leader Kevin de Le�n. "Why is it much harder to buy a pack of cigarettes than a case of handgun ammunition? This measure would cut off easy access to ammunition and is a critical first step to keeping bullets out of the wrong hands."

AB 362 would enact similar measures to regulate access to handgun ammunition in California. First, it would require handgun ammunition vendors to be licensed with the California Department of Justice; currently law enforcement agencies have no idea who is selling ammunition in their communities. Second, the measure would require those licensees to undergo a background check and have any employees handling ammunition to undergo a background check to ensure felons aren't selling ammunition. Third, to cut down on the theft of handgun ammunition, AB 362 would also require such ammunition be stored behind-the-counter by retail sellers, similar what is current done for cigarettes. Fourth, since persons wishing to purchase handgun ammunition are required to be 21 years of age, the measure would require ID verification on all purchases. Finally, AB 362 would ban all Internet sales of handgun ammunition into California, instead requiring all such sales to be transacted face-to-face to verify age of the purchaser.

Assembly Bill will be heard in Assembly Public Safety Committee in the spring. The measure is supported by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, and Women Against Gun Violence.Contact: Dan Reeves, 916/319-2045.

Dan Reeves, 916/319-2045.