RDW
Member
I live in California, and we’re on the verge of a new law’s coming into effect (AB962) that essentially prevents people in California from purchasing “handgun” ammunition online. You can read about the details of the law yourselves, but the law got me to wondering about the future of shooting, both inside of California and in general. I know that many of you are from states other than California, and I’d like to hear what you think about the subject. In particular, I’d like to know if your states are also becoming more restrictive with regard to shooting/guns, and if you think what’s happening in California will spread, once the precedent has been set.
I’m not one who sees black helicopters on every horizon, and I don’t see a conspiracy in every law or court ruling, but I do see certain freedoms being whittled away without many people paying attention. Here in California, for instance, we have a 10-day waiting period for both long guns and short guns (maybe that’s common throughout the US?); we don’t have many gun shops left any more, at least in Los Angeles County; and it’s getting harder and harder to find essentials like ammunition, particularly “odd” ammunition (like 44 special, for example). Buying online, of course, made the scarcity of gun shops and the lack of hard-to-find ammunition not an issue, but that’s where the new law is targeted.
Personally, I see preventing people from buying ammunition online as a means toward an end, with the next step toward that end being restricting in-state sales of ammunition –you eliminate the option to buy out-of-state (online), and then you start to regulate buying it in-state. Ultimately, I see it as a step toward taking away the guns without actually having to take away the guns.
Currently, reloading is still an option, but I see that as one of the things that may become more regulated in the future: Like with the ammunition, first you prevent people from buying out-of-state and then you restrict what you can buy in-state. The use of lead can also be restricted, which in turn restricts casting, making it more difficult to get around the other restrictions.
The usual organizations –CRPA and NRA, among others—are filing lawsuits and trying to prevent the law from taking effect, so we’ll see how that goes. I belong to both, and I consider myself to an active member in terms of writing to the appropriate people and agencies –and in sharing my views on forums like this one.
What’s happening in your states? And what do you see in the future for shooting and shooting-related activities (gun shows, shooting groups like SASS, etc.)?
I’m not one who sees black helicopters on every horizon, and I don’t see a conspiracy in every law or court ruling, but I do see certain freedoms being whittled away without many people paying attention. Here in California, for instance, we have a 10-day waiting period for both long guns and short guns (maybe that’s common throughout the US?); we don’t have many gun shops left any more, at least in Los Angeles County; and it’s getting harder and harder to find essentials like ammunition, particularly “odd” ammunition (like 44 special, for example). Buying online, of course, made the scarcity of gun shops and the lack of hard-to-find ammunition not an issue, but that’s where the new law is targeted.
Personally, I see preventing people from buying ammunition online as a means toward an end, with the next step toward that end being restricting in-state sales of ammunition –you eliminate the option to buy out-of-state (online), and then you start to regulate buying it in-state. Ultimately, I see it as a step toward taking away the guns without actually having to take away the guns.
Currently, reloading is still an option, but I see that as one of the things that may become more regulated in the future: Like with the ammunition, first you prevent people from buying out-of-state and then you restrict what you can buy in-state. The use of lead can also be restricted, which in turn restricts casting, making it more difficult to get around the other restrictions.
The usual organizations –CRPA and NRA, among others—are filing lawsuits and trying to prevent the law from taking effect, so we’ll see how that goes. I belong to both, and I consider myself to an active member in terms of writing to the appropriate people and agencies –and in sharing my views on forums like this one.
What’s happening in your states? And what do you see in the future for shooting and shooting-related activities (gun shows, shooting groups like SASS, etc.)?