January 8, 2019
Liz Writes Life
Loving the rain and bits of snow we are receiving. Sure hope
the snows continue in the mountains for the next three months!
A friend gave me some hyacinth bulbs in water and pretty
marbles in a clear glass jar for Christmas. They are starting to bloom and
smell wonderful! Typically, I forget to “force” bulbs, so this is a nice
reminder that spring is coming. Forcing or getting bulbs to bloom in the house,
in the winter, is easy. Finding them in stores this time of year is not so
easy. And, it is best to start this project in December. Oops! But you can
still try it.
Another friend gave me tulip bulbs and I finally got them in
some water and rocks (to hold them up) last week. Most have a half-inch green
shoot and look like they should bloom. I have never “forced” tulips before, so
this should be fun.
In trying to decide what to write about this week, I was
intrigued by the new California gun ammunition law. I thought it began on Jan.
1, 2019, but it doesn’t become law until July 1, 2019.
There are truths and rumors out there about the law that was
passed by California voters back in 2016 as Prop. 63. One rumor is that many
gun owners did not realize this threat to their 2nd Amendment right and did not
vote. I do not know if that is true, but even with our highly-divisive society
it is believed there are plenty of gun owners that could have voted and stopped
this law – no matter what their party affiliation was. So, it is important to
vote!
Either way, more restrictions regarding ammo are coming. The
best website I found was by a relatively new ammo business in the San Diego and
L.A. area called LAX Ammunition OC.com. The O C stands for Orange County. It
had a nice Q and A.
Mail order or sales over the internet: Recently, I have been
told by several friends that they tried to order ammo over the internet and
were told their mail address was not valid. This is because their address is in
CA. Aspects of Prop. 63 began on Jan. 1, 2018, so it was one year ago when it
was decreed the sales of ammo must be done face-to-face unless the ammo is
purchased online through a licensed vendor, who then delivers the ammunition directly
to the consumer. Guess, the U.S. mail, UPS or FedEx are middlemen and do not
comply with Prop. 63.
Exceptions to this are sworn peace officers, licensed dealers
or collectors and people with exempted federal firearms licenses through the
DOJ.
Also, beginning Jan. 1, 2018 (last year) it is illegal to
drive ammo across state lines. Hum, I wonder if criminals adhere to this law?
Ok here goes –
Beginning July 1, 2019, ammunition dealers will be required
to check with the Dept. of Justice -- at the time of purchase -- that
individuals seeking to buy ammo are not prohibited persons.
No permit: You do not need a permit to buy ammo, but you must
be 21 years old or at least at 18 years of age to purchase ammo for a rifle and
shotgun ammo.
Apparently, the burden is on the ammo seller to check with
the CA. Dept. of Justice to see if your name is on a “bad person” list.
Ammo must be kept out of reach of the consumer and can only
be accessed with the assistance of the seller. This started last Jan. 1, 2018.
One positive is that you are not limited to how much you can
buy. But, there is a limit to how much
ammo a seller can sell. I don’t know what that is.
Make no mistake this is a background check on your person. DOJ
is calling it an “Eligibility Check”. There is a cost of $1 by the consumer to
the ammo seller to pay DOJ for the check. Your name, current address, date of
birth, Driver’s License or ID was used when you purchased your firearm in CA.
This info is in the state Automated Firearms System. Any “red flags” regarding
your “right” to own a firearm should have appeared, then, in the DOJ system.
This $1 cost check is said to be a quick minute or two
electronically-generated check by the ammo seller to DOJ, likely by computer. Guess
we will see just how fast it is. If your eligibility check does not pass, DOJ
has said it will provide a “one-time” eligibility check at the cost of $19 and
could take up to 10 days to process.
Each time you purchase ammo, the $1 eligibility check will be
implemented.
If you have not registered a firearm in CA., you will not be
in the system. You can try the one-time $19 eligibility check, but more likely if
you want to purchase ammo, you will need to register a firearm as a gun owner.
If the DOJ system is down, a phone call can be made by the seller for eligibility.
I don’t have the faintest idea how long that will take, especially if a live
person doesn’t answer the phone.
This is where the biggest threat to the 2nd Amendment lies. These
gun laws are new and many citizens own guns that were purchased years ago -- before
registration. Under the Bill of Rights, gun ownership is a right. Many guns are
inherited. I will leave that discussion for those who like to debate.
Another thing I learned is that you will be able to purchase
different calibers of ammo, because there is nothing in the law that states you
can only purchase ammo for the gun that is registered.
But, yep, each of your purchases will be recorded to your
name.
CA. Concealed Weapon Permit holders are NOT exempt from this
ammo eligibility check process. But, CCW Permit holders are already in the
eligibility aspect of the system and
should have no trouble with DOJ.
LAX Ammo said that CA. DOJ is still working out how to
implement all of the regulations of Proposition 63, so details may change.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in
newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near
Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at:
LizWritesLife.blogspot.com.
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