Posted on 04/23/2007 8:00:25 AM PDT by SmithL
Unsuccessful at keeping guns from gang members and criminals, California may target a new frontier in its crime-fighting efforts: ammunition.
Guns don't kill, bullets do, argues Assemblyman Kevin de León, a Los Angeles Democrat who is pushing the idea.
"I think it will lead to fewer deaths," he said of regulating handgun ammunition. "But I don't believe it's an end-all or a panacea."
The freshman legislator said his bill is particularly timely, given the rampage at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead.
De León has proposed Assembly Bill 362 as a step toward making California the first state to conduct instant background checks on buyers of handgun bullets.
Among its provisions, the bill would require that personal information be collected from buyers of handgun ammunition, that such transactions be conducted face-to-face, not by mail, and that retailers store their handgun ammunition behind counters.
Critics claim that tighter regulation of bullet sales would create more hassles and higher costs for gun enthusiasts, but not necessarily cut crime.
"I don't consider criminals dumb," said Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California. "They figure out ways to get around whatever is thrown at them."
"You'd have a lot of guys going to Nevada and bringing back a ton of bullets," said Wes Lewis of Guns N Stuff in North Highlands.
State law currently requires buyers of handgun ammunition to be 21 or older. But it does little to ensure compliance or to prevent sales to felons or individuals with a history of mental instability who can't own guns legally but might acquire them from friends or on the black market.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
We haven’t tried what’s in your picture yet.
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
As a symbolic gesture, I think that Sarah Brady and her merry band of antis should publicly and immediately disarm themselves. After all, this is pretty much what Ghandi said to do.
BLOAT!!!
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