FWIW, the NRA did not oppose this law. Here's a March 2007 letter from NRA Liason Paul Payne regarding the NRA's position on AB2521.
Rick,
As promised, I looked into the AB2521 issue from the 2006 California Legislative Session. I am told that AB2521 was a bill that was sponsored by the CA-DOJ and it was not opposed by the California Association Firearms Retailers (CAFR).
Also, I have conferred with NRA's legal team and other NRA Staff and received the following:
The following is a quick summary of the effect of the changes to Penal Code section 12072(f) by Assembly Bill 2521:
Under Penal Code section 12072(f) federal firearms licensees are required to obtain a unique verification number for the recipient (if, and only if, the recipient is also a federal firearms licensee) from the California Department of Justice via the internet. This requirement is akin to the EZ Check system implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
This section also requires the same seller to include a copy of the unique verification number along with the firearm to the recipient.
This requirement does not apply to private party sales processed through a California dealer where the out of state seller is an individual and not a federal firearms licensee.
This requirement is not in effect until July 1, 2008, and is subject to DOJ processing regulations.
Hopefully, this will calm-down anyone on the Internet, or other places, who thinks that the NRA didn't do it's (our) job. I look forward to reading the retractions and/or clarifications from those who quickly jumped to the wrong conclusions regarding AB2521.
If there is anything else I can do for you, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Paul