Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Judge Enjoins California’s Unconstitutional Ammunition Background Check Law, Again

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Judge Enjoins California’s Unconstitutional Ammunition Background Check Law, Again

For a second time, a federal judge has issued an injunction preventing California from enforcing its ammunition background check law, holding that it infringes on the right to keep and bear arms, the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, and is preempted by the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act.

California has a very complicated process for buying ammunition. The voters passed Proposition 63 in 2016. Proposition 63 required individuals who wished to obtain ammunition to first get a license to do so and to present that license when purchasing. But the California legislature had other ideas. It “preemptively amended” Proposition 63 with a much more complicated process.

Now individuals who want to purchase ammunition must do it in a face-to-face transaction in the state—online sales are prohibited. And they must pass a background check every time. But there are four different types of ammunition background checks, costing between one and nineteen dollars per background check. This “ungainly” system denied 16% of the people falsely when back in 2019, when the court first enjoined it. And California has struggled to get that rate down. It sits at 11% today. That “is still too high,” the court said.

Even worse for California were its attempt to show that the law was consistent with the historical tradition of firearms regulation that establishes the limitations on the Second Amendment. It cited 50 laws restricting or prohibiting the transfer of a firearm or ammunition to slaves, blacks, Native Americans, mixed-race, and other minorities as justification for the law. The court had nothing to do with it: “These fifty laws identified by the Attorney General constitute a long, embarrassing, disgusting, insidious, reprehensible list of examples of government tyranny towards our own people.”

The court also found that the case violated the commerce clause because the in-state transaction requirement was designed to benefit California vendors at the detriment of out-of-state vendors. And it finally found that the requirement that individuals buy the ammo in-state was preempted by the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, which allows individuals to transport firearms and ammunition across state lines under certain conditions.

The case is captioned Rhode v. Bonta. It is an NRA-supported case.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights.

TRENDING NOW
Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

News  

Friday, March 21, 2025

Trump Administration Revives Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Provision

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published an interim final rule entitled, Withdrawing the Attorney General’s Delegation of Authority. That bland title belies the historic nature of the measure, which is aimed at reviving ...

Washington: Permit to Purchase Bill Passes Senate

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Washington: Permit to Purchase Bill Passes Senate

On Monday, April 14th, the Senate passed House Bill 1163, the permit-to-purchase scheme, along party lines. It will now return to the House for concurrence with amendments made in the Senate.

Germany Strips “Extremist” AfD Members, Supporters of Gun Licenses, Guns

News  

Monday, April 14, 2025

Germany Strips “Extremist” AfD Members, Supporters of Gun Licenses, Guns

It’s been only a few years since the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling the NRA a “domestic terrorist organization.” 

Colorado: "Polis Permission Slip" Signed Into Law in a Secret Ceremony

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Colorado: "Polis Permission Slip" Signed Into Law in a Secret Ceremony

Ignoring months of advocacy and correspondence from tens of thousands of Coloradans, Governor Jared Polis has signed Senate Bill 25-003 into law.

The Unkindest Cut: British Crackdown on “Ninja Swords” Suggests Bias, Futility

News  

Monday, April 14, 2025

The Unkindest Cut: British Crackdown on “Ninja Swords” Suggests Bias, Futility

The United Kingdom (UK) has a long history of exerting control over its subjects, especially when it comes to depriving them of arms.  It also has a weird history, albeit a shorter one, of an apparent ...

House Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Concealed Carry Reciprocity Legislation

News  

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

House Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Concealed Carry Reciprocity Legislation

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup for several bills, including two NRA-backed bills. With this crucial step in the legislative process now complete, these pieces of legislation can now ...

North Carolina: Second Amendment Financial Privacy Bill Advances to House Floor

Thursday, April 17, 2025

North Carolina: Second Amendment Financial Privacy Bill Advances to House Floor

This week, the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, House Bill 38 (H38), passed favorably out of both the House Judiciary 1 Committee and the House Rules Committee, and is now scheduled for consideration on the House floor ...

North Dakota: Firearm Carry Enhancement Bill Heads to Governor's Desk

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

North Dakota: Firearm Carry Enhancement Bill Heads to Governor's Desk

On Tuesday, April 15th, the House concurred with Senate amendments on House Bill 1588 with a vote of 87-4. 

Trump DOJ Creates Second Amendment Task Force to Undo Damage of Biden Era

News  

Monday, April 14, 2025

Trump DOJ Creates Second Amendment Task Force to Undo Damage of Biden Era

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) formally announced the creation of a Second Amendment Task Force with Attorney General Pam Bondi declaring, “It is the policy of the Department of Justice to use its full ...

Texas: Self-Defense Protections on Publicly Owned Property Passes Senate Committee!

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Texas: Self-Defense Protections on Publicly Owned Property Passes Senate Committee!

Yesterday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 1065, prohibiting lessees of publicly owned property from restricting your right to self-defense. Use the take action button below to contact your Senator and urge ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.