California voters recently ratified Proposition 63. That particular piece of unconstitutionality requires all Golden State ammo sales be conducted face-to-face, via a licensed ammo vendor. Come January, California customers ordering ammo online will have to pick-up their order at a licensed vendor and pay a $25 transfer fee. How great is that? So great that residents are flocking online before the deadline. Ammoman.com’s press release tells the tale . . .
California Experiencing Ammo Buying Rush Ahead of Proposition 63
California shooters and hunters are looking to fill their stockings with lead this holiday season ahead of the new year and new ammo regulations going into effect.
Ammunition retailer AmmoMan.com is seeing a massive influx of California customers as holiday shopping and the impact of Proposition 63 bears down on the West Coast.
Sales to California are up considerably this holiday season as the impact of Proposition 63 starts January 1. As an example of this trend – California currently makes up about twice as much of AmmoMan.com’s overall sales as it did last year during the same time period.
Some notable individual California cities showing considerable gains include:
· Anaheim – +449%
· Bakersfield – +295%
· Concord +968%
· Fresno – +87.6%
· Lancaster – +268%
· Los Angeles – +128%
· Redding – +325%
· Roseville – +180%
· Sacramento – +177%
· San Diego – +39.3%
· San Francisco – +63.9%
· Santa Clara – +315%
· Stockton – +17%
Note: AmmoMan.com cannot ship directly to customers within the city limits of many municipalities already due to local laws. This data is pulled from Google Analytics and indicates where the IP Address of the customer was at the time of the order. These shipments are typically made to suburbs of the major metro areas.
“It’s really the usual suspects that are seeing the biggest bump when it comes to increased volume. It’s 9mm handgun ammo and .223/5.56 ammo on the rifle side of things,” Eric Schepps of AmmoMan.com said. “These calibers are quite common for recreational range shooters during ‘normal’ ammo markets so it seems shooters are stocking up to ensure they have more on-hand ahead of the new year.”
In part because of growing support from California, AmmoMan.com invested in faster shipping to the West Coast – adding an operation that allows the retailer to reach 97% of the country with delivers in 2-days or less.
“We believe this puts us in a great position to continue building one of the best ammo-buying experiences around,” Schepps said. “We don’t anticipate Prop. 63 changing the way of life so many of our customers are passionate about.”
The retailer expects California to remain one of the top states for ammo consumption among civilians. Historical sales data shows California consistently in the top 3 U.S. states for ammo buying and this year, California is clearly in the top spot. The investment in better processes to serve West Coast shooters is indicative of that belief; The retailer will now reach 97% of the United States with deliveries in two days or less.
“This is an exciting move. Cheap ammo is a wonderful thing and getting it delivered faster is always better. We’re excited to lead the way for the whole industry.” Schepps said.
I’ll just throw out a prediction. This will have zero impact on gun crime in California.
I disagree. Criminal actions will now cost $25 more because the criminal has to pay that fee to buy ammo online.
Actually, the $25 fee itself is criminal.
Shoot, maybe becoming an FFL dealer in California would be a hell of an investment opportunity.
Actually I think the opposite. I think most gun shops won’t think its worth the hassle. Too much paperwork, and all the ammo must be behind lock and key. Our local Sportsman’s Warehouse supposedly is spending $40k for glass front shelving for their ammo.
What makes you think that this law had anything to do with reducing crime? It isn’t. Instead, the Proposition, submitted by Lt. Governor and Governor-in-Waiting Gavin Newsome that serves two purposes: 1. It was a political stunt to keep his name in front of the electorate for the next election, when he runs for Governor, and a direct challenge to a bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Pro Tem, Kevin “Ghost Gunner” De Leon, who at the time was also planning to run for governor. (Given Gavin’s lead, he has decided to challenge Dianne Feinstein for her Senate seat instead, guessing that she can’t have much left in her.); and 2. Newsome is a dyed-in-the-wool gun banner, and this is a method of discouraging gun ownership and shooting sports by making them too damned expensive and too government controlled, since now ALL of your purchases, except at a range where you bought it, will be reported to and recorded by the California DOJ.
It was never about gun crime. Its about control.
I’d just drive to Nevada and bring back crates of ammo in my Han Solo smuggler nooks and crannies.
It’s my understanding that Nevada has an “understanding” with CA that they won’t sell to anyone from CA.
Instead, AZ, which is far more gun-friendly than either, is also just over the border, and will sell ammo to anyone.
Is CA really going to search each and every vehicle entering it?
no I.D. yet.
I’m here in Vegas. No gun store asks for ID when buying ammo. Your understanding is incorrect. If you come check out Ventura Munitions for the best prices. Close to the I-15 on the way into Vegas.
No this will have a huge impact on crime in CA going sky high! With a new black market comes new criminals and now that trafficking in ammo will be occurring there will also soon be production of illegal street ammo. As all reloading is not regulated, yet, in the state criminals will step it up from not just producing illegal ammo but the real deal “cop killa” bullets as if you can’t buy it just make one better. Soon CA will rival Chicago in crime as the largest gun free zone in the world.
Except where I live….
The criminals will just get their ammo through the existing pipelines they get their guns through. We’ll find ways to get our ammo through work arounds. Criminals will do their crime thing and we’ll continue to shoot them when they break in to our houses and such. These bills werent meant to stop gun sales. We make up 10% of the domestic gun market and the state makes tons of money taxing gun related activities….. this law is political theater for the true believers’ entertainment.
Gun and ammo companies cannot let the CA market go. It would ruin many of these companies.
I did a red neck estimate based on my age and figured how many rounds of ammo I’d need for hunting and practice for the rest of my active life. Then I placed orders for months. Some here, some there. I have enough, I believe, so that even if I finish my life here I will not have to go to a store and pay that ridiculous permit fee.
I have no need to buy any more guns or ammo. And I will not so long as this ‘constitutional rights are based on my zip code’ nonsense lasts.
Good luck to all of you on the left coast. Stack deep, I hope that ammo companies are giving priority.
Pretty soon the grabbers will all be bitching that people in California buy “thousands of rounds at a time” or some nonsense.
I’ve been stocking up for months.
That being said I am no attorney, but I don’t know why somoene doesn’t sue them using the Sherman Act for restraint of interstate commerce (restraint of trade).
I don’t think that’s the correct statute in this case, but I agree, I don’t see how a city or even a state can legislate interstate commerce like that. It would seem to violate the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
JDH,
I am glad that you mentioned this — I was coming on here to say the same thing.
This law in California directly penalizes commerce from other states. Of all the areas where fedzilla wildly oversteps its legitimate authority to regulate, this area would NOT be one of them.
Until the regulations are final (and they are very late), no one knows what dealers will charge for their own ammo sales, or to accommodate internet sales. If, for example, the cost of closing a transaction is the same for both, then there is no harm. That said, I know that Freedom Munitions is reaching out to California vendors to make arrangements to accept shipments for on-line purchases, and is asking purchasers to refer their local dealers to them. I have to assume others will do the same.
Most legal questions just give me a headache, but the basic unfairness of this manner of crap astounds me. I wish to buy a box of ammo, and a company agrees to sell it to me. If government wishes to have a say in that transaction, then all costs added should be borne by that government. That $25 buys *me* absolutely nothing, and I did not request it, how can gov’t get away with requiring that I pay it? If gov’t believes it is accomplishing something it really needs to accomplish, then it should pay that bill! Now, I’ll admit, if that were the case, I’d probably find a need to order ammo one box at a time, maybe 100 times a year, ending up with the gov’t paying near as much for my ammo as I do, but hey …
I’m buying heavy. .22LR, 9mm, 5.56, .308, and .338. After seven years I’ll hopefully be living on my land in WI.
There are a lot of gunners in CA. Unfortunately, the state is ruled by commies.
Man… go easy on that 338! $6/round will break you ” going deep” .
I have 1k in 338 ammo at my place. And I don’t plan on shooting it that much
Some of those percentages look rediculous. I wonder how that translates to cases of ammo.
Like Concord’s + 968%?
If they only had one or a few customers who bought small quantities before and now had a few times that many buying by the case I could see a nearly 1,000 percent jump in ammo sales.
Note the size of LA and them having only having a 128 percent increase…
I can guarantee the LA figure is not correct by the amount of ammo I personally brought in since Summer. FYI Cabelas ships into LA city limits, no questions asked.
I live on Oakland, I can not have ammo shipped directly to me now, so I ship it to my Father-in law in Oregon and he brings it down on expeditions to see the grand baby.
I’m currently sitting on 10K each of my three common calibers and at least 2K to 5K of my uncommon stuff (6.8 SPC, 458 SOCOM, etc…)
I WILL NEVER PAY THAT FEE, I WILL NOT EVER SUBMIT TO A BACKGROUND CHECK TO BUY AMMO, CALIFORNIA CAN KISS MY ASS.
In my view, CA can kiss my ass. If they made it too difficult, I’d just drive across the border on some lovely day and stock up.
The California DOJ is literally the stupidest bureaucracy around. My brother is retired LEO and guess who will be driving my mail order ammo to me in California from out of state. What LEO is going to search him or give him crap – NONE.
DMJ-747,
Having a relative ferry your purchases down from Oregon is fantastic as long the California
highwaymenhighway patrol never find your merchandise in your relative’s vehicle on his/her way down from Oregon.I strongly advise that you review any wording in the new “law” about ferrying ammunition purchases into the state and plan your strategy accordingly.
Correct. It is expressly illegal to bring more than 50 rounds into the state.
And like untaxed whiskey in the South some years ago, there aren’t enough revenuers to put a stop to it, or even a dent in it. You will have ammo sales in the states that border CA rise due to this. Instead of a sign that says last gas for 50 miles, it will be last ammo before California.
Any shop that close to the border will have someone from California law enforcement keeping an eye on the parking lot, and reporting license plates to the local HP office for interdiction. It would be a pretty lucrative business. Although the fine is pretty small, they get to seize your ammo as contraband. And if you buy enough, that could be pretty painful.
$25?
Where did that number come from, please?
PC 30312 (a)(2) includes “The ammunition vendor may charge the purchaser an administrative fee to process the transaction, in an amount to be set by the Department of Justice, in addition to any applicable fees that may be charged pursuant to the provisions of this title.”
Title 11, Division 5 of the California Code of Regulations does not yet have a fee specified. Proposed section 4263 (from Dec 1) suggests a fee not to exceed $5 for immediate delivery, or that plus a storage fee, in addition to the Department fee.
This not to say that any smaller amount makes sense, or that the law itself has any utility beyond harassing gun owners.
I came to say the same thing. There is no $25 fee. The fee is NOT the same as the $25 fee incurred to purchase a firearm with attendant background check. The law does NOT require a full blown background check as required for the purchase of a firearm; rather, it requires only an “instant check” against a California only computerized database of prohibited persons. Further, a subsequently passed legislative bill states that the fee charged by the state should be around $1, which does not include any charges added by the dealer to process the sale (which is a real pain).
Will Ammoman honor 03 FFL + COE holders, and ship to us without going through an “Ammunition Vendor,” as SGAmmo has already committed to do?
“Smoky and the Bandit” was about hauling a load of beer to Georgia. It’s about time for a remake.
““Smoky and the Bandit” was about hauling a load of beer to Georgia. It’s about time for a remake.”
An ammo convoy?
Here’s hoping Arizona and Nevada can be what NH is to Mass.
I was born and raised in California. I sympathize with the law abiding firearm owners there. The knuckleheads who voted for this cockamamie measure are truly out to lunch.
I hope I’m never in a position where I have to reside there, ever again!!!!!
When, not if, the next Dem is elected President, this will happen across the entire country. This is definitely what is coming….buy it cheap and stack it deep.
I think you are right that the anti’s will keep pushing but the pendulum swings both ways. There is a breaking point, a line in the sand. And it won’t be pretty.
I don’t know about the CA law but a lot of on line ammo sellers still think that the NY SAFE Act prohibits internet / mail order sales directly to private buyers. The big guys like Cabela’s, Midway, etc. will not even ship ammo to NY state at all. Others will only ship to FFLs or “licensed sellers of ammunition”.
According to the law, that will not be necessary unless and until the ammunition data base is created and declared in operation by the NY State Police. The SP have openly stated that the database is not funded and there are no plans to create it. Status quo.
At least there are some on line sellers who will sell and ship directly to private citizens. They’re getting all the business.
· Anaheim – +449%
Hah, we’re right at the top! I can proudly claim responsibility for this.
Before someone buys their first firearm and ammo they are looking at DROS $35, $50 for back round check for ammo buying permit, $5-25 ammo transfer fee + jacked up dealer price, guessing $25-35 for safety permit every 5 years to buy any firearm.
$135+/- just to start the process while paying 8%+ sales tax on both firearm and ammo.
We all thought 22LR was pricey a few years ago.
If funds are limited, like me, research your firearm wish and buy the ammo now .
The ammo permit, originally set to go into effect 1/1/19, doesn’t go into effect until July 2019 because there is no computer system to handle the requirements of the law. The DOJ has already borrowed $100 million (against the anticipated $500 million in fees to buy a permit) to build the system. If government acts per norm, expect that date to be moved again. Further, the ammo transfer fee should not be more than $5, unless the dealer is handling and holding a shipment for you from an out if state vendor, where they can charge $10 plus storage fees if the ammo is not picked up immediately.
And you do not need a permit if you go to a range and buy their ammo and use it there.
What about the background check YOU have to pay for?
Just another reason I left the people’s republic of commiefornia.
. We don’t need no water, let the mother fucker burn, burn mother fucker burn
Careful! Like rats on a sinking ship, I fear Libtard voting burned out Commiefornians will simply migrate to adjoining states and infect them like the STDs they are. Adjoining states need to build a wall around that cesspool.
Shouldn’t be tough, just get a campaign going encouraging open carry everywhere! All those libtards will turn around and scurry back to CA so fast you’ll never know they left, first time they see armed rednecks everywhere. Buy stock in underwear makers, they will need many new pair.
I’ll bet ammo across the state line will be popular as well…no way they are going to stop every car to search for ammo…
Not without a damn WARRANT!
I, like other CA firearm owners, have been judiciously buying ammunition over the last year in preparation for the InterWeb-ordered door closing. With my limited range time, I’m stocked for at least the time it’ll take for the wife and I to settle our affairs and leave this socialistic cesspool for a free-state.
As the slide down the slippery slope continues. It NEVER ENDS folks.
WAARNING ANERICA, commie kalifornia is like an STD. Infectious and spreads. WAKE THE F UP!
I have a question.
What other constitutional right is Taxed? From fees to get a permit to fees to buy Ammo? Should the state absorb the cost of NICS checks? When people protest they don’t send a bill to the protestors for police protection? Why do we have to pay a fee or tax for our rights?
“I have a question.
What other constitutional right is Taxed? From fees to get a permit to fees to buy Ammo?”
Organize a rally in Washington, DC.
A permit will be required, and depending on the size of rally, the permit may require you pay for rental portable toilets, for example.
Right there, your ‘free speech’ just cost you real money…
I’m waiting for the stories of idiot voters/media horrified by stockpiles of ammo. Of course, it’s only natural that people will be buying ammo by the case, instead of box, to mitigate the shipping and dealer import fees. People who casually had a couple boxes on hand will now have thousands of rounds.
Or receiving pallets of cases. Heavy. I wonder how many have purchased pallet jacks or forklifts.
why is that state still part of this country? we need to kick them the F out. i am so tired of hearing about all the inane bullshit those citizens have to put up with.
Some Trump supporter said we need to extend the wall around comiefornia whenever we start building it. Myself, I think they should use a labor force (for the wall) comprised of caught illegal aliens, no, not undocumented workers. Who the hell ever came up with that bullshit phrase? Undocumented my ass!
As an FFL , I have no interest nor will I handle Mail Order Ammo shipments –This is one pain in the ass–We have to receive –,store –document,–insure– make out paperwork –log sale in ledger–notify DOJ of each sale –AND if its not picked up –Thats another story !
Not for me !!!
Buy your Ammo from a local store .