The NRA joined with the California Rifle and Pistol Association in suing California over the law limiting Californians to purchasing ammunition from in-state vendors only.
The suit was filed in the name of California resident and six-time Olympic gold medalist, Kim Rhode.
According to CBS 8, the suit also focused on the coming January 1, 2019, requirement that would-be ammo buyers pass a background check for ammunition, similar to that passed when purchasing a firearm.
On January 1, Breitbart News reported that new California state laws bar out-of-state ammunition purchases and require that all in-state purchases be made from a state-approved, licensed dealer. This shrinks the supply, which will inevitably drive up price. Moreover, they require that any ammunition purchased online be sent to a licensed in-state dealer, who will then charge a processing fee for the ammo, thereby driving the price up even further.
Many Second Amendment proponents worry that Democrat lawmakers’ next step will be to add a waiting period to ammunition purchases, unless something is done now to roll back the controls.
NRA member Robert Butchko commented on the suit, saying, “What I don’t understand is why I need one permit to buy a firearm and another to buy ammunition. I just worry that the state is going to keep going to the point where they make it inconvenient to buy a gun.”
Butchko made clear he is not against compromise, but he does not see this as a situation where gun controllers will give an inch.
Moms Demand Action’s Wendy Wheatcroft seemed to bolster Butchko’s observation by suggesting “responsible” gun owners ought not be concerned about controls on their ammunition. She said, “Clearly being able to accumulate large stores of ammo is not beneficial to the general public.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange