AB 156: Ammunition.

(1)Existing law requires the Attorney General to maintain records, including, among other things, fingerprints, licenses to carry concealed firearms, and information from firearms dealers pertaining to firearms, for purposes of assisting in the investigation of crimes and specified civil actions. In regard to certain of those records, existing law authorizes specified peace officers to disseminate the name of the subject of the record, the number of firearms listed in the record, the description of any firearm, and other information reported to the Department of Justice, as specified, if the subject of the record has been arraigned, is being prosecuted, or is serving a sentence for domestic violence or is the subject of specified protective orders. Existing law requires the law enforcement officer to provide a victim of domestic violence to whom information is disseminated with a Victims of Domestic Violence card, and authorizes the victim or other person to whom the information is disseminated to disclose that information as he or she deems necessary to protect himself, herself, or another person from bodily harm by the person who is the subject of the record.

This bill would require the Attorney General to also maintain information about ammunition transactions and ammunition vendor licenses for those purposes. This The bill would similarly authorize specified agencies, officials, and officers to disseminate the name of a person and the fact of any ammunition purchases by that person, as specified, if the subject of the record has been arraigned, is being prosecuted, or is serving a sentence for domestic violence or is the subject of specified protective orders. The bill would require the law enforcement officer to provide a victim of domestic violence to whom information regarding an ammunition purchase is disseminated with a Victims of Domestic Violence card, and would authorize the victim or other person to whom the information is disseminated to disclose that information as he or she deems necessary to protect himself, herself, or another person from bodily harm by the person who is the subject of the record. card.

By imposing new duties on local law enforcement officers, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)Existing law, subject to exceptions, requires that the delivery or transfer of ownership of handgun ammunition occur only in a face-to-face transaction and makes a violation of this requirement a crime.

This bill would extend those provisions, subject to exceptions, to any ammunition and would reorganize those provisions.

(3)Existing law provides that the term vendor for purposes of ammunition sales is a handgun ammunition vendor as defined for those and other purposes.

This bill would provide that the term vendor for purposes of ammunition sales means ammunition vendor and, commencing January 1, 2018, means a licensed ammunition vendor. The bill would provide that commencing on January 1, 2018, only a licensed ammunition vendor may sell ammunition. The bill would revise the definition of ammunition for those purposes.

(4)Existing law establishes the Prohibited Armed Persons File, the purpose of which is to cross-reference persons prohibited from possessing firearms with records of firearm transactions to determine if these persons have acquired or attempted to acquire firearms. Under existing law, a person who is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm is prohibited from owning, possessing, or having under his or her custody or control any ammunition or reloaded ammunition.

This bill would, commencing July 1, 2019, use the Prohibited Armed Persons File to cross-reference persons who attempt to acquire ammunition, as specified, to determine if those persons are prohibited from possessing ammunition.

(5)Existing law makes it a crime for a person, corporation, or firm to provide ammunition, as specified, to an individual that the person, corporation, or firm knows or should know is prohibited from possessing or owning ammunition.

This bill would apply that prohibition to other business enterprises. The bill would make it a crime for a person, corporation, firm, or other business enterprise to provide, as specified, ammunition to an individual that the person, corporation, firm, or other business entity knows or has cause to believe is not the actual purchaser or transferee of the ammunition, ammunition or knows or has cause to believe that the ammunition is to be sold or transferred to a person prohibited from possessing or owning ammunition.

(6)Existing law prohibits an ammunition vendor from allowing a person the vendor knows or should know is a person who is prohibited from possessing firearms, for specified reasons, from handling, selling, or delivering handgun ammunition in the course and scope of his or her employment. Existing law prohibits an ammunition vendor from selling or otherwise transferring ownership of, offering for sale or otherwise offering to transfer ownership of, or displaying for sale or displaying for transfer of ownership of, any handgun ammunition in a manner that allows that ammunition to be accessible to a purchaser or transferee without the assistance of the vendor or an employee of the vendor.

This bill would extend those prohibitions to any ammunition. The bill would require that when neither party to the ammunition transaction is an ammunition dealer, the transaction be conducted by an ammunition dealer. The bill would, subject to exceptions, require a resident bringing ammunition into the state to have the ammunition delivered to an ammunition dealer for delivery to the person, as specified. The bill would provide that a violation of these provisions is a crime.

(7)Existing law, subject to exceptions, requires a handgun ammunition vendor to record specified information at the time of delivery of handgun ammunition to a purchaser, as specified.

This bill would extend those provisions to transactions of any ammunition and would, commencing on July 1, 2019, require the ammunition vendor to submit that information to the Department of Justice, as specified. The bill would require the department to retain the information for 2 years in a database to be known as the Ammunition Purchase Records File and would prescribe the authority of the department and other entities to use the file, as specified. The bill would, commencing on July 1, 2019, and subject to exceptions, require the purchaser of ammunition to be authorized to purchase ammunition by the department, as specified. The bill would require the department to cross-reference the Prohibited Armed Persons File and the Automated Firearms System for those transaction purposes. The bill would require, commencing on July 1, 2019, and subject to exceptions, that only persons listed in the Automated Firearms System, or who purchase a one-time ammunition transaction license from the department, would be able to purchase ammunition. A violation of these provisions would be a crime.

The bill would authorize the department to accept applications for ammunition vendor licenses, commencing on July 1, 2017. The bill would require an ammunition vendor to be licensed, commencing on January 1, 2018, in order to sell ammunition. The bill would create an application process for ammunition vendors, as specified. The bill would establish the Ammunition Special Account, into which vendor license fees and ammunition transaction fees would be deposited and made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for purposes of enforcing the ammunition vendor licensing and ammunition purchasing provisions. The bill would require the ammunition vendor to conduct business at the location specified in the license, except in the case of gun shows or events, as specified. The bill would require ammunition sales at a gun show or event to comply with certain requirements pertaining to ammunition transfers and recordkeeping, the violation of which is a crime.

(8)By expanding existing crimes and creating new crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(9)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.