Sacramento – The state assembly committee on Public Safety this week was slated to discuss an assembly bill that would regulate the sale of handgun ammunition. AB 962 was written by Assemblyman Kevin De Leon (District 45, Los Angeles), who held a news conference Tuesday on the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. Later Tuesday, AB962, was to be discussed in the committee. AB962 requires that by July 1st, 2010, anyone that “sells or transfers more than 50 rounds of handgun ammunition in any month to register as a handgun ammunition vendor.” The seller must be “licensed by the Department of Justice.” At the time of the purchase, the bill would require the vendor to record the buyer’s driver’s license number; the brand, type and amount of ammo; the right thumbprint of the purchaser; the buyer’s full residential address and telephone number; and date of birth. Exemptions include manufacturers, wholesalers, law enforcement, state, federal and local agencies, and transfer “between immediate family members, spouses, or registered domestic partners.” Assembly Chief Counsel Gregory Pagan said fiscal effects of the bill were unknown. De Leon said AB 962 “seeks to safeguard California communities by combating the easy accessibility to handgun ammunition that fuels gun violence and criminal activity." He said a similar ordinance helped Sacramento Police make 156 prohibited purchase arrests, leading to 109 felony charges, with 36 convicted and dozens pending. Resulting investigations led to 48 search warrants, and seizure of 84 illegal firearms, along with illegal drugs, stolen property and cash. The National Rifle Association registered opposition to the bill, saying “proponents of AB962 claim that new legislation is needed to stop the transfer of handgun ammunition to criminals. In California, the transfer of ammunition to a prohibited person is a crime and the possession of ammunition by a prohibited person is a crime.” NRA argues that a “provision of AB962 would resurrect a federal program of ammunition sales registration … that was repealed due to the lack of effectiveness.” The NRA also argues that the “purchaser registration requirement would expose consumers to possible identity theft problems with sensitive personal information being required to be given to retail businesses.” NRA also said the bill “could expose citizens into committing crimes for simply sharing ammunition with their friends at competitions and students in training classes,” it “would ban the sale of ammunition at gun shows and expositions” and “would ban all Internet and mail order handgun ammunition sales." Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.