New California Bill Proposes Tracking Ammunition Sales

image
Published: 09 Aug, 2012
2 min read

ammo

Legislation requiring law enforcement notification of ammunition sales of more than 1,000 rounds was introduced by California state lawmakers on Wednesday.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) and Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) co-authored AB 2512.

"Among the most shocking details from the shooting massacre in Colorado is the undetected stockpiling of mass ammunition and weapons by the alleged shooter," Assemblywoman Skinner said in a statement. "While incidents like Aurora may be rare, gun violence is an ongoing, yet unnecessary threat in communities throughout California. As lawmakers we need to do everything we can to minimize it.”

The proposal would require vendors "who sell, supply, deliver, or give possession of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an individual within any five day period to report the transaction to the local law enforcement agency where the individual resides within 24 hours."

“California has been a national leader in adopting thoughtful gun safety laws," said AB 2512 co-author Senator Hancock. "This legislation will close a loophole that allows people to purchase large caches of deadly ammunition without law enforcement’s knowledge and devices intended to get around the ban on large capacity cartridges."

In the weeks prior to the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, the suspected gunman purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the internet without triggering suspicion. The bill's authors aim for AB 2512 to provide a level of oversight they feel is lacking and could avoid similar outcomes in California.

Additionally, the bill would outlaw the sale of devices capable of converting an ammunition feeding device into a large-capacity magazine, commonly called "clip kits".

California state law does not requiring tracking or reporting of large-quantity ammunition transactions.

IVP Donate

“We want to do what we can to prevent future deadly attacks with multiple casualties," said Assemblyman Ammiano, also a co-author of the bill. "Why not make it harder for perpetrators to fire off hundreds of rounds of ammunition in a short time?"

The newly introduced bill to track ammunition sales joins fellow pending legislation SB 239, targeting clip restrictions for semi-automatic weapons. That bill is backed by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), Senate President Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

You Might Also Like

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
California Prop 50 gets an F
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read