California Legislature takes first steps toward 'ammo control'

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Source: Bay Area News Group

Nearly four months after the massacre in Newtown, Conn., and even as gun control legislation appears stalled in Congress, California's Legislature took its first steps toward further tightening its already strong firearm laws Tuesday, when a panel approved a bill to restrict ammunition sales.

Under a measure carried by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, people would have to buy ammunition from a licensed dealer and provide identification. The bill, AB48, was approved by the Democratic-controlled Public Safety Committee on a party-line 5-2 vote. It was the first of nearly two dozen bills legislators will soon address to combat gun violence.

Sales of ammunition would also have to be reported to the state Department of Justice, which would check the names against a registry of prohibited gun owners -- a tool to allow authorities to seize guns from those who are banned from possessing them because of criminal or mental health histories. In addition, local law enforcement agencies would be alerted to anyone purchasing more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition within a five-day period.

Also prohibited would be the sale of kits that gun owners use to convert 10-round magazines into high-capacity magazines.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/california-budget/ci_22929819/