Bill To Equip Ammo With Serial Numbers Passes [California] State Senate

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | 6/03/2005 | James P. Sweeney/AP

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

SACRAMENTO – A novel proposal to etch identifying serial numbers on handgun ammunition sold in California narrowly passed the Senate yesterday, although supporters conceded the legislation remains a work in progress.

The measure, Senate Bill 357, passed on a bare-majority, 21-14 vote that split along party lines, with Democrats in support. The vote sent the bill to the Assembly, which has long been the decisive battleground for gun-control initiatives.

A related measure, to require manufacturers to equip some semiautomatic handguns with components that would place an identifying code on spent cartridges, passed the Assembly 41-38 and was sent to the Senate.

The Senate measure is sponsored by Attorney General Bill Lockyer but so far has drawn tepid support from the balance of the state's law enforcement community. It would link purchasers to handgun ammunition through an electronic swipe of a driver license at the point of sale.

Manufacturers say the proposal would force drastic changes to a high-volume, low-margin business. The required modifications to the manufacturing process, the companies warned, would either drive them out of business or send consumer prices skyward.

Sen. Joseph Dunn, a Garden Grove Democrat who introduced the bill for Lockyer, said he is working with law enforcement groups to resolve concerns about how to treat a massive existing inventory, possession of unmarked ammunition in homes and an exemption sought for shooting ranges.

Sen Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, illustrated the magnitude of the potential ammunition stockpile in the state. He has used about half of a substantial supply his father left when he died in 1981, Morrow said.

"If I plan right, I figure it will get me through the rest of my life," Morrow said.

Morrow and other opponents questioned whether the proposal, which has never been attempted anywhere else, was technologically feasible. Aides to Lockyer said manufacturers place individual serial numbers on many different consumer products.

The Assembly bill, AB 352 by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would apply only to future production of easily concealable semiautomatic handguns that have not passed a state safety test.

[need_a_screen_name]

"The measure, Senate Bill 357, passed on a bare-majority, 21-14 vote that split along party lines, with Democrats in support."



I was reading over at DU a couple of weeks ago (they actually have a gun forum), and there was this guy claiming that Democrats are NOT for gun control. That it is only a stereotype created by the Republicans. He says he writes into newspaper editors and gets his letters published saying the same thing. He says people are astonished to find out the truth. Well, the TRUTH is, that by and large, the great majority of Democrats (at least in positions of power) ARE for gun control (re: disarming law-abiding citizens).

As long as Democrats keep pushing the gun control agenda, like they are doing in California, they will always be a minority party. Some of them are waking up to that fact. Others are flat out lying about what they are for.

[AngryJawa]

You don't bother to check the populace for compliance. It's just that -- bingo! -- when you pick somebody for something else, here's another nice, juicy felony you can stick him with.

Ding Ding Ding!!! Here's a cigar for ya, Prion...don't smoke it in California, though.

[Tallguy]

Does the California legislature actually think that they can convict someone based upon a serial number on a spent cartridge? Haven't they heard about something called "chain of evidence". All a defense attorney or suspect has to say is that "my ammo was stolen". 'POOF'! No case!

[ßuddaßudd]

Does this bill cover IEDs?

[Lazamataz]

When entering Californistan, there should be signs at the border:

NOW LEAVING THE UNITED STATES
PLEASE HAVE PASSPORT READY

[Ajnin]

This is the exit knell for all cowards to cede Califronia to the anti-gunners and move to another state. Good bye, have fun trashing Cali to all your fair weather friends.

[Ajnin]

Califronia=California

[Bear_Slayer]

Morrow and other opponents questioned whether the proposal, which has never been attempted anywhere else, was technologically feasible

Yes it is feasible, but it wouldn't solve anything.

If a criminal used a stolen gun, it would imprint the SN# of the stolen gun on the spent cartridge. Brass catchers solve that - and the brass would only be tracible to the stolen gun.

If cartridges were imprinted with a SN# at the factory, the brass could be traced to the purchaser, but ammo gets stolen too and brass catchers would also solve that.

It doesn't do anything but raise the cost of ammo, annoy legitmate gun owners and force them to give up more liberty.

[lowbridge]

A related measure, to require manufacturers to equip some semiautomatic handguns with components that would place an identifying code on spent cartridges, passed the Assembly 41-38 and was sent to the Senate.

Why dont they require the airline industry to provide transportation in UFOs as well?

[Bear_Slayer]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1416867/posts

[Vinnie]

As long as Democrats keep pushing the gun control agenda, like they are doing in California, they will always be a minority party.

They seem to have a strangle hold on a number of States.

California for one and North Carolina. I'm sure many others. They are doing pretty good for a minority.

Liberal Californians move elsewhere and take their kooky ideas with them. Look how they are ruining Colo., Montana, Az, NM,Nv. It's like an infection.

[Wilhelm Tell]

What I see happening is separatists moving into positions of power, and encouraging the populace to move away from the nation, because California pays out more taxes than it gets back.

I had not thought of it that way, but California as the Quebec of the U.S.? Possibly. The politicians seem to want to run their own people's republic. The endgame will really start when the legislature imposes confiscatory taxes on any business or wealthy person seeking to leave the state. You will have the choice of leaving the state and being taxed into bankruptcy all at once or staying and being gradually taxed into bankruptcy. I guess the politicians think that when they turn California into an independent banana republic that they can print funny money to pay for their socialist schemes once they have confiscated and squandered all the real wealth in California.

[John Jorsett]

The Senate measure is sponsored by Attorney General Bill Lockyer but so far has drawn tepid support from the balance of the state's law enforcement community. It would link purchasers to handgun ammunition through an electronic swipe of a driver license at the point of sale.

Wait a minute. The new driver's license for illegal aliens that they want is supposedly "not valid for ID." How are the illegal aliens going to get their ammo?

[absalom01]

The one advantage of our current "safe" districts is that we should start to get some "upgrades" in this regard. For example, the 38th AD is solidly conservative, but has a "moderate" Republican incumbent. Several good candidates have been looking at that seat, so we might make some small progres.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm sure the tax angle is part of it, but disarming the California populace is what these idiots are all about. When the riots come and they always do, these 'termites' want us absolutely defenseless. After all, it's only the underprivileged asserting their natural rights. Oh how the leftist mind works...

[DoughtyOne]

That doesn't surprise me. What they want is a complete database of anyone who purchased ammunition.

[.38sw]

The California law enforcement and elitists will not be subject to these tyrannical regulations.

The bill makes no exception for law enforcement, so all of the law enforcement agencies are against it. It's possible Arnold will veto it. If that happens, then I would look for the state senate to pass another version next year with an exemption for LE.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm glad to hear that report. Excellent.

[ExSoldier]

Which is, of course, the REAL agenda.

Yup. Californians and Americans in general have a choice: Stand up and be counted....or Line up and be numbered....

[absalom01]

You know that I'll keep you in the loop, and keep bugging you when it's time for GOTV!

OK, getting back to guns :)

This bad boy is currently on display at the Raahge's shooting sports fair in Corona -- five bucks gets you 15 rounds!


As .38sw points out, it's only a matter of time before something like this ammo bill gets passed, so I'm thinking it's time to upgrade the "civil unrest" armaments.  The photo shows the Aimpoint, but I would rather mount an ACOG. 



With that, (and a bit-o-practice) one could make shots from bad-breath range out to 600 meters all day long.

So, what the legislature is really saying, is: ".45 Auto, Bad.  .308 Winchester, Good. "  Or something along those lines.