California: Department of Justice Proposing to Increase Ammunition Eligibility Check Fees!

On August 23^rd, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) released a notice of proposed rulemaking to increase the cost of the Ammunition Eligibility Check to $5.00 per authorization, a 500% increase over the existing fee of $1.00. This proposed increase comes on the heels of the legislature passing Assembly Bill 135 and Senate Bill 135 last year to allow the Attorney General to unilaterally increase the fee to conduct these checks, thereby potentially allowing costs to skyrocket over time due to bureaucratic inefficiency. Public comments will be accepted on the proposed rule until October 8^th at 5:00pm and can be submitted to:

Q. Farris

Department of Justice

P.O. Box 160487

Sacramento, CA 95816

(916) 210-2377

[email protected]

The ammunition eligibility check system, established with the passage of Proposition 63 and amended by Senate Bill 1235, requires all individuals in California to purchase ammunition in-person at a licensed ammunition vendor and to complete an eligibility check for each purchase or transfer. Earlier this year, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California held the law unconstitutional in the NRA-supported case Rhode v. Bonta, however on appeal the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay that allows the law to be enforced while the case is ongoing. In the meantime, NRA will continue to fight against these proposed regulations that aim to put the burden and cost of operating an unconstitutional system on the back of California’s law-abiding gun owners.

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