Governor Signs De Leon’s Ammo Fingerprinting Law
By EGP News Service
Saying it is in no way a panacea, but rather an important new tool to combat gun violence, Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, thanked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing his bill, AB 962, which requires firearm dealers to fingerprint people who buy bullets.
“Let me be very clear. Bullets are the lifeblood of guns. Guns don’t kill people; bullets do,” said de Leon during a ceremonial signing Oct. 15 in Los Angeles.
“Right now anyone can buy ammunition, even a felon straight out of prison. And that’s not just true here in California but it’s true in most states throughout the country. That’s irrational,” said de Leon.
AB 962 requires firearms dealers and ammunition stores to keep a registry of their handgun ammunition sales — including the identification and fingerprints of the buyers — and make it available to law enforcement agencies starting February 2011. It also bans all mail-order and internet sales of ammunition and reloading components.
The new state law protects gun owners as well as the public, said Schwarzenegger, who vetoed similar bills in the past because he questioned their effectiveness in ensuring public safety.
[But] “Now we have the evidence,” Schwarzenegger said. “More than a dozen cities across California have enacted record-keeping laws for ammunition, and their success is clear and undeniable,” he said during the signing ceremony held at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Dispatch Unit.
The governor said over the last two years, similar legislation in Sacramento has led to the arrest of 200 dangerous criminals who were not legally entitled to own firearms and ammunition. Police raids of their homes led to the discovery of other illegal weapons and drugs.
“Imagine how many lives were saved,” said Schwarzenegger.
Gun Owners of California, in a statement, however, called the law “backwards and invasive,” and warned it would cause the state to lose millions of dollars in sales tax revenue.
“The governor vetoed this bill once before — why is he now trying to curry favor with anti-Second Amendment Democrats,” the statement read. “AB962 creates a liberal feel-good log-book that will do nothing to stop crime.”
“I’m a firm believer in the Second Amendment, the right of every law- abiding citizen to bear arms,” Schwarzenegger said. “That is why I have consistently rejected bills that are unnecessarily restricting that right. However, (AB 962) strikes an appropriate balance between protecting the rights of gun owners and the rights of people to feel safe and secure in their communities.”
De Leon called the bill he authored “common sense legislation.”
De Leon further emphasized that while there currently is no state or federal database where information can be routinely checked, the new law gives law enforcement a valuable new tool: “They can go into the stores and they can review and audit the books, as they do in the city of Sacramento as well as the city of Los Angeles. Via the thumbprint, they juxtapose the thumbprint with the Department of Justice to see if in fact that individual is from a prohibited class or not.”
De Leon did acknowledge that the measure is an “after the fact” enforcement tool, but said he hopes that when the financial climate improves. “we’ll get a system set up where we’ll have a real-time check.”
Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said not only would the law prevent crimes, it would also help police solve them. He noted that casings left behind from shootings can be traced via the registry.
A former gang prosecutor, Trutanich said he keenly felt the need for the law.
“I was in a park and I was shot at, and I can tell you now that keeping the ammo out of the hands of those nogoodniks who are hellbent on spreading violence is the way we solve crime and the way we stop it in this city.’’
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October 22, 2009 Copyright © 2010 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.
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8 Responses to “Governor Signs De Leon’s Ammo Fingerprinting Law”
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Hey Schwartzie! This one’s got YOUR name on it!
May make it less convenient for bad guys, but definately looks like a great way to generate more fees for politicians to find a way to spend!
Did Trutanich really say “. . . nogoodniks who are hellbent on spreading violence . . .” ??? No way, nobody talks like that.
It is ALREADY illegal for felons to own/buy/touch ammunition (not “bullets”). All they need to do is enforce that law.
This is simply an infringement on lawful civilians.
Nuts! Arnold is a girlie man!
The Governor and the Assemblyman BOTH LIE. The criminal has no intention of buying ammunition, they just steal it. DeLeon says “Guns don’t kill people”, People kill people USING a gun and ammunition (bullets for the dummies) as their preferred instrument of destruction. Most of the GUNS the criminals and thugs use are stolen and sold on the black market.
DeLeon calls AB 962 “common sense legislation” ANOTHER LIE. If this were common sense legislation I wouldn’t be writing this comment, nor would I be calling his legislative offices and telling his staff that he is a LIAR. I ALSO WOULD NOT BE CALLING THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AND TELLING HIS STAFF HE IS A LIAR, ALSO.
Another law that makes little sense to a truely educated mind…our politicians in California seem to think that they can reduce crime by restricting the rights of law abidding citizens…guns and bullets don’t kill people… criminals kill people with criminal guns and criminal ammunition that has no restrictions….. the politicians must think that we the people are dummies…maybe we are…just another reason to leave this once golden state….by the way govenor can I cash my IOU yet…see ya
One more reason I’m glad I don’t live in Californa. I feel sorry for you guys–I really do. Think about this–if I were going to commit a crime, would I use my OWN BULLETS? That’s like the idiot bank robber that writes a robbery note on one of his own deposit slips. You won’t catch evildoers–you’ll catch idiots. And if they’re that big of an idiot, I sincerely hope you are smart enough to catch him already.
This law pisses me off so much. If the law that made it illegal for them to have a gun in the fist place didnt work then what will this law do other then taking away my ability to find the best price on ammo online and have it shipped to my door. now I have to drive 20 miles to find a store that carries ammo and get finger printed to purchace rounds. Thanks for creating another black market for the criminals you morons