Watch CBS News

California Gun Law Changes Not Sitting Well With Owners

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Changes to gun laws are coming to California in the new year, and some people are not happy about additional restrictions.

Starting Jan. 1, Californians will have to purchase ammunition through a licensed vendor. And if they purchase the ammo online, it has to be shipped to a vendor instead of directly to the buyer.

"Well it's going be a pain in the butt," said Josh Deaser, owner of Just Guns in Sacramento. "It's not going to solve or prevent anything from happening."

El Dorado County Sheriff John D'Agostini voiced his concern in a letter to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday.

He wrote "It has come to my attention from an ammunition vendor in my county that on January 1, 2018, he will no longer be able to receive ammunition shipments from his ammunition suppliers because he does not have an Ammunition Vendor License…His business and his livelihood are at risk."

Deaser told CBS13 he's still waiting on the Department of Justice to explain how ammo regulations are going to work.

"We've heard everything from a card to a fee per transaction," he said.

CBS 13 reached out to the attorney general's office for clarification and a spokesperson simply wrote back "Anyone who applies to obtain an ammunition vendor license before December 21st, will receive a license by January 1st."

Also on deck for July is the bullet button ban. The feature allows the gun owner to use a small tool to quickly reload and start shooting again.

"You can either register your weapon as an assault weapon, with the bullet button on there," Deaser began to explain.

He went on to say that, as an alternative, gun manufacturers can remove the adjustable buttstock, pistol grip and flash hider from the weapon to avoid registration.

But Deaser doubts the changes will have a real impact.

"Bad people still do bad things," he said. "The only people that are addressed in any of these bills that they've passed are the law-abiding citizens."

Additional Changes:

  • Defendants convicted of firearm-prohibiting crimes, such as felonies, or misdemeanors involving violence, domestic abuse, or illegal weapon use, must provide proof that they sold or transferred their firearms within specified time periods after conviction.
  • Gun dealers must obtain a DOJ certificate of eligibility from employees who handle ammunition, verifying that they passed a background check.
  • Californians looking to purchase ammunition must pass a background check starting in 2019.

For more information: http://ltg.ca.gov/news.2017.12.19_2018GunLaws.html

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.