Coronavirus gun sales store
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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The national gun sales surge began in earnest late last week with the President’s declaration of a national emergency. That’s when gun stores were deluged with buyers, many of them first-timers.

California, however, has a 10-day waiting period to take possession of any firearm purchased. Which means none of those buyers who stood in line the Golden State last week walked out of the store with anything that goes bang. Now . . .

After multiple counties across California ordered their residents to shelter in place, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday night he was issuing a statewide order for people to stay at home.

The order went into effect Thursday and will remain in place “until further notice,” the governor’s office said.

This is the first statewide order of its kind in response to the coronavirus.

As far as enforcement, the governor said he didn’t believe California residents needed to “be told through law enforcement that it’s appropriate just to home isolate and protect themselves.”

“There’s a social contract here. People I think recognize the need to do more and to meet this moment,” Newsom said. “People will self-regulate their behavior, they’ll begin to adjust and adapt as they have been quite significantly.”

“We will have social pressure that will encourage people to do the right thing,” the governor said.

– Theresa Waldrop in Self-isolation, quarantine and California’s stay-at-home order: What the terms mean and how they differ

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112 COMMENTS

  1. Right, Guv, and what are people supposed to do when they run out of food? Go shopping anyway, if the grocery store is open. But if you close them too, what do you suppose people will do then?

    • The stay at home order is stay at home as much as possible. OBVIOUSLY you have to go to the store and get food and other necessary things like go to the doctor. As such, people who WORK in those industries are exempt and you are exempted to go to necessary places.

      • Stay at home is not mandatory. I’m out and about every day. I took my grandsons to the marina yesterday. I go for long walks every day.

        There are a lot of businesses closed. And a lot of places that are for entertainment are closed. But the needed stuff is still open.

        There are not enough cops, national guard or regular troops combined to truly lock down a state, much less a nation.

        And they aren’t even trying. Our city police have already announced there will be no arrests made for being out and about. No fines or tickets.

        How is that going to work in court? “I fined the citizen 100 dollars because when we sent him to his room he went for a walk instead.”

        • I would think that it depends on how Authoritarian Left your judge is…”$100 fine upheld + $250 court costs…pay the cashier on your way out.”

        • The government said they will charge you with reckless conduct and remove business owners’ licenses.

        • I mean that is exactly what Italy is doing. Papers please and why are you out? Oh, not going to a grocery store, here is your ticket. When this is over you will have to pay a fine and/or face jail time.

          In that case though it is a lot more about police noticing people having dinner parties and what not. Not simply taking a walk or a drive.

          But yes, more and more countries are moving to that. Can’t lock you up right now, but we can ticket you and later send you a summons to appear in a few months or a year or two. Same thing they are doing to most non-violent criminals now. Don’t jail them or try them. That’s all on pause for awhile.

          Businesses that don’t comply generally get their entrances chained shut and the business owner is getting future orders to appear. Likely to lose their business license if they are lucky.

          I mean, we are talking about a pandemic likely to kill millions. I am ALL about freedom. But eventually there does come a point where someone’s actions is endangering all of those around them. Don’t follow the rules, face future consequences (or current is the rule breaking is bad enough).

    • The People’s Republic of Kalifornia. Committed to creating a safe working environment for all industries, including criminals. Armed people are a workplace hazard for criminals and the state government is committed to providing safe working environments without descrimination.

        • Same in Massachusetts. A permit requirement state….Most townships and their local police departments declared THEY were suspending the “permit process” indefinitely, weren’t forwarding any permit operations…Since in the People’s Republic of M assachusetts , an FID card/ or LTC is required to purchase, own, or possess….So, all Massachusetts residents CAN’T exercise their lawfull constitutional right (according to “authorities” here. A privilege.) Something that No one NEEDS….

    • I’m a SoCal resident who cannot leave because then my ex wouldn’t let me see my kids. I feel for my neighbors. This is exactly when one needs a gun. Don’t worry about me, my friends already know my prepper tendencies.

      Wow, is the normalization mean gonna bite.
      This will last at least 6 weeks, probably much more. Thankfully, my kids are easy to teach.

      • In conjunction with the threat of nuclear annihilation, my friend, I have found that taking children hostage is very effective at keeping you serfs married to my land.

  2. So if this is the tipping point for you Californians to move out…. Please remember not to vote for the same ideas/people when you move to Colorado, Texas, Montana, Idaho, Arizona or the rest. You and your type are destroying the American west.

      • …….. Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Colorado…. etc. Etc. Etc. Infinitum until we infect all your states. I never understood this push to have people spread their California taint to YOUR states. Stay and fight. This is where court cases are going to SCOTUS and federal judges are shooting down unconstitutional laws.

        • Yeah, like the unconstitutional 10 day wait . Court ruled it unconstitutional, Commiefornia paid no heed. Courts overturned Scat Francisco laws on handguns 3 times. How did that work. The disease thst is liberalism/progressivism/Demonrat, is far worse than any Coronavirus, it NEVER goes away, just goes to a dormant state to come back and attack Freedom, usually when Patriots are not looking!

    • If they were foreigners invading our states, We would tell them that they should have picked up weapons and fought the corrupt government where they lived, instead of fleeing it.

      • So if only Arizona was being invaded by a foreign power the other 49 states aren’t obligated to help out? No United States at all?

        • YES!!!! California begged for help with prop 187 in 1994 and demanded that illegals get no freebies…the Feds said that was unconditional to deny Illegal foreigners your tax paid shit

          49 other states fail via the feds…happened before will again

          Just think of what the USA would look like without 30 million tax sucking leaches and 10 million of their anchor babies not being born here!

        • Yes, I remember voting for Prop 187 in 1994, and how a single Federal judge placed a temporary injunction against it. The State of CA initially filed to appeal the injunction, but later dropped it in 1997, leaving it in place. In CA, Propositions hold the greatest legal weight because they are considered as declarations by the People themselves.

          Remember, everyone…the People of CA voted for this, and a single person declared for it to be temporarily blocked. We’re here in 2020 with Prop 187 not being enforced not because the law was ever overturned, but because a few people in power decided to ignore the situation and move on to other things with smoke and mirrors for everyone else.

        • Just a friendly reminder that Mexicans are indigenous to the Western States and to call them the invaders is laughable. Mexicans were here long before the Europeans and will be here long after.

        • get out of here with that sHi-t….

          just because your family had someone born a hundred miles ‘near’ the border does not mean you own or belong to both sides of it…please….

        • @proud Chicano Most Mexicans are at least partially descendants of europeans, the Indian ones are usually in central-south Mexico (Oaxaca, Puebla, etc)
          Mexicans from North Mexico are usually the whitest Mexicans (people from Chihuahua, Sinaloa), I would guess Californios are really white too or at least heavily Mestizo

        • Just love the Mexican claim to US territory, like Texas, California, etcetera. The U S bought the land in the Louisiana Purchase initially, the Mexican government ceded the same land for immigration by Americans shortly after Mexico became “independant,” then reneged on their own constitution, got their ass handed to them by Texans, started a war with the U S, got their ass kicked all the way to “the halls of Montezuma,” then accepted a “purchase” for the land from the U S, and still some want to claim that it belongs to Mexico. It is truly laughable. Sorry, you touch a nerve, my ancestors were with Stephen Austin among the 300 who immigrated to Texas, and burned their ferry, mill, and home, to prevent the Mexican army and Santa Ana from chasing Houston.

        • Deal with it already. You might as well be friendly Mexicans are here to stay and multiply faster than you. Wont be long till Ashley brings home Jose to meet the family and before you know it little Josesito is born. So just be kind to one another wont ya.

        • Wow to be proud that you have more very YOUNG teen age births and babies out of wedlock and family units…yep that is a certain way to be successful…having 15 kids and can’t educate even one to college for lack of money, no wonder lots of latinos like Berine giving away freebies to the freeloaders

        • My familia never took a red cent from the Gov’t and work hard for everything we have. Hence the PROUD CHICANO handle. Be well amigo.

    • Oregon residents recognized the threat clear back in the 60s. That was when the “Don’t Californicate Oregon” bumper stickers and shirts were popular.

  3. Another issue is how long does this mandatory closure last. If it expands for weeks past 30 days from the date of purchase the transaction is cancelled so the “gun owner” has to re-complete the background check and wait ANOTHER 10 days. It really sucks and is exactly why I don’t live in Kalifornication.

    • Of course there is the problem that the ant is already paying 40% of what it makes in taxes to support grasshoppers … and the ‘hoppers keep demanding more and more.

  4. I am absolutely certain that the gun run was the deciding factor in this unconstitutional order. But the slaves of the state will cower in fear of their master”s wrath. The pattern is repeating itself all over the country but most especially in those states like, CA, VA, PA, NY which were stupid enough to elect communist/democrats as their governors. I don’t know about you all but I grow more angry by the hour as our country descends into chaos.

    • No, I don’t think so. 99% of all guns in this state are already owned and in the hands of the people. Last week’s buying spree was admirable, but didn’t add that much to the total.

      If anything, I think all those buyers in limbo are now pissed off that we even have that dumb waiting period, and may change their voting accordingly.

        • Here in Arizona, the question isn’t about postponing elections. It’s whether to let everyone vote by mail or limit that to voters who have already made that request and require everyone else to show up at the polls.

      • This Gov recomndation is not about slowing/stopping new gun owners. It’s mostly about public health. With that, today, I’ll take my kids to the park while keeping distance from other folks…I’ll probably EDC the Glock 19.

        • Heh — yesterday I was out in the sunshine doing conservation work on the Oregon coast. Half the people I talked to were there because they figured a fresh sea breeze wouldn’t be carrying any virus and the sunshine would kill any that happened along anyway.

          Then there were a few more serious group, setting out to camp for two or three weeks! Their work places were closed, and they figured the best way to stay at least six feet from other people would be to be about six miles from the nearest population center (and that across the bay).

  5. A local gun store chain here in Southern CA sent out an e-mail that they are setting up appointments for people to be able to pick up firearms that they purchased last week. Only those picking up firearms at their appointment time will be allowed in the store. So, some people aren’t completely out of luck right now.

    Of course, no new sales are going on at this time, and good luck getting any ammo for those recently purchased firearms.

    • That is what I have heard as well. If you bought a gun before the shelter in place order, your gun will be delivered if your BGC clears. Some (noncorporate) sellers consider themselves to be “essential services” and are staying open, but it is too soon to tell how many.

  6. “How could all the anti-freedom, Orwellian policies we’ve been voting for over the past 60 years come back to bite us?!?!”

    Said all the jerkoff leftists in unison. Unfortunately they’ll forget just as quickly as the still alive chickens forget they saw a fellow chicken get eviscerated by a hawk.

  7. I’m sure a curbside delivery method could be set up between the buyer and seller that would be in conformity with the concept of social distancing. Law says a 10 day waiting period before they can acquire. I don’t think that the acquisition has to take place in the store.

    • Buyers also have to perform a safe gun handling demonstration before the FFL signs off on the purchase. (It is pretty basic, loading, safeing, unloading and showing clear.) It’d be pretty weird doing that curb side.

    • Firearms and ammunition are essentials.

      Well, not to the morons running California’s government, but to all Free People they are essentials!

      • I would agree they are essentials, to Calis and everybody. Just got back from LA last week, was there twice in Feb., a week each time. Supposed to go back next week, of course that ain’t happening. I feel bad for them (I know many of you don’t), but truth be told most of them think it’s the greatest place in the world to live and wouldn’t have it any other way. To me it’s as place to make money and bring back to TN. I’ve come to detest LA but have a lot of friends and business partners there. God help ’em, that’s the last place I’d wanna be in this type of scenario.

  8. The order is currently not reachable on the Cal Gov’s website, it is broken somehow. Here it is from a news media website:
    https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6815528/Newsomorder.pdf

    The order ends stating it is enforceable under this law:
    http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=8665

    Which states:
    “Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or who refuses or willfully neglects to obey any lawful order or regulation promulgated or issued as provided in this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable by a fine of not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment for not to exceed six months or by both such fine and imprisonment.”

    This is not really a stay home and do not leave under any circumstances order. It does say:

    “When people need to leave their homes or places of residence, whether to obtain or perform the functions above, or to otherwise facilitate necessary activities, they should at all times practice social distancing.”

    Obviously picking up your gun at the end of an asinine waiting period is a “necessary activities”.

    But hey, cover yer ass, swing by the supermarket on the way to the gun store, and again on the way back, and buy something edible. California leaders are entirely shit for brains on firearms, but going out for food is fully allowed under the gov’s order.

    Oh and I am in a Constitutional Carry/Free State, but if there was such an order here I’d be exempt under Federal guidelines listed in the order for working in the “Defense Industrial Base Sector”.
    https://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors

    • But will it truly be enforced for those “gray area” companies that aren’t specifically named on the “yes” or “no” list? The CA Gov-supplied list of industries allowed to remain open is so long, there will still be traffic and activity, albeit lower than normal. Our company president, HR manager, and I are going through this right now as we speak. I’m taking a ten-minute break from our last conversation to allow everyone to digest the news and regroup for the next round of decisions for our company’s 300+ employees.

      https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-strictest-coronavirus-measures-new-rules

      The article above quotes Newsom as saying:

      “People will ask ‘Well, how will you enforce?’ As I say there is a social contract here, people I think recognize the need to do more and to meet this moment. We will have social pressure that will encourage people to do the right thing. I don’t believe the people of California need to be told through law enforcement that it’s appropriate just to home isolate, to protect themselves, go about the essential patterns of life, but do so by socially distancing themselves from others and do so using your common sense.”

    • The country’s already let half the prisoners out, in fact I don’t even believe they’re arresting anybody unless they murder somebody

    • “But hey, cover yer ass, swing by the supermarket on the way to the gun store, and again on the way back, and buy something edible.”

      If they’re a first time gun buyer, it’s unlikely they already have a suitable gun vault cabled to their car’s seat frame or bolted into their truck’s console. When they come back out to the King Soopers parking lot, they’ll find a broken window and an empty Ruger carton.

  9. This is why background checks are an infringement. If the government shuts down, and you cant pick up firearms. They have effectively banned new ownership of firearms. Situations like this need to be used in court cases fighting against this kind of stuff.

  10. Although I support the 2A, you guys are always bitching about some change, especially assault weapons. Why is it that if I wanted a Bazooka and can’t have one, should I complain and make a grand issue?

    So it’s a 10 days, big deal, what’s another week (boo-hoo). What IF we had a 14 day waiting period and it was reduced to a 10 day waiting period. we all would be saying hey, that’s great. Can’t win with some of you guys who just want to be a “Rambo”.

    • “…just want to be a “Rambo”.
      What a ridiculous statement. Maybe in your little fantasy world. This has nothing to do with people acting or trying to act tough. It’s about the invasion and abuse of our Constitutional Rights. Hair-gel and others like him are stomping on the God given rights of Californians (and many from other states). Also known as an abuse of power.

    • Hmmm…difficult to imagine anyone who’s done any self-aware thinking about a human being’s inherent right to defend themselves having this opinion. So, by reaching the simplest, most direct conclusion – ie Occam’s Razor, the only reasonable conclusions from your statements is either you’re an anti-human rights leftist statist troll or have some kind of deficiency that disallows rational thought…oh, never mind, same thing.

    • Made in America you started your comment with an obvious lie. You are not pro 2A if you think infringement of the peoples right to keep and bear arms is okay.

    • I support free speech and unreasonable search and seizure but; I also support a 10 day waiting period on free speech and especially search and seizure. Because you know would not want to offend anyone and why shouldn’t Police be able to just break into your house on a hunch? Police can only be there for 10 days until the court orders them out. Do you have something to hide? It’s only 10 days until your comment will be posted. Do you think you are Shakespeare or something?

      • A ten day waiting period is not a big thing until you need a weapon for some reason NOW! How about if the government keeps extending the waiting period indefinitely? When the Rodney King riots happened, I laughed myself silly at all the scared folks who ran to the nearest gun store to buy a gun (10 day waiting period then too) to protect themselves and their families.
        Proverbial “When you need an officer of the law now, they will be X number of minutes away”. Waiting periods are very similar.

  11. It was a gay politician, Tom Ammiano. The state senator who wrote the 10-day waiting law in 2014(?).
    Now keep voting for people just because they’re gay or because they’re a Democrat. Or even if they’re just a Republican. Or they call themselves a Libertarian. Look into the background of the person you’re voting for. If you research Tom Ammiano you will find that he has been a very anti civil-rights homosexual going back to the 1970s.

  12. I think most of those people running out to buy guns and ammunition either support restrictive laws OR they’re buying to sell at a profit. I do think everybody should be armed if they choose but I do not support their 2nd Amendment rights when they’ve been against us having those same rights.

    It’s also pretty damn irritating when I’ve supported local gun shops since I was born and suddenly they’ve just sold everything to people who don’t even know what they’re buying and those people aren’t even likely to ever use what they bought.

    • Posted previous comments above, now trying multiple times (through three different browsers, even) to reply here, and TTAG isn’t letting me. I’m now trying a bland “vanilla” response to test.

      Why is there always an issue with the TTAG comment section nearly every day?

    • You sound like a petulant child. “Sorry, we won’t sell you this gun or ammunition because one of our frequent customers might come in and want it.”

  13. I have not one bit of sympathy for the subjects of California on this issue. If they wanted/needed or even thought they might in the future need a firearm they should already have it in the closet. And/or they should have campaigned more effectively for less stringent restrictions, or they should have moved to another state. These people wanted the government they have, and now they have to live with it………and I’m willing to be nothing will change in the future.

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  15. Do you guy’s ragging on Californian’s understand most gun owner’s DIDN’T vote for these azzholes? I sure as he!! DIDN’T vote for any anti-2A POS in ILLinois. You asked all of us to “stand” for Virginia. A state where merely showing up & voting would have prevented all that drama. Not so in Cali. Or ILL. WHEN your state goes evil(it will!)I won’t care! Don’t bother responding to me. I’ll just make a mental note you’re an evil troll…

  16. Guys! I’m making ass loads of cash selling toilet paper to the panic stricken from the comfort of my garage! You can too! Go to imagullibledumass.org.

  17. Gun stores need to disregard this order. I’ll happily show up at my LGS appropriately adorned to help them keep the wolves at bay.

    Sad when the wolves have badges, but I guess thats how it has to be.

  18. I understand that California is allowing home delivery of food.
    How about home delivery of firearms? When the waiting period is over, deliver the gun.

  19. Now that Hair-gel has given “his orders”, I’m waiting for good ‘ol DiFie to show up over here on Tahoe’s West Shore to hide out at her Lakefront Estate. Ahh, clean air, beautiful Lake Tahoe, no homeless bums, private armed security services, toilet paper…Life is good!

  20. Remember folks, if you have a friend who is gunless. It is perfectly legal to lend them a gun, provided they can lawfully possess a gun.

    Don

  21. Won’t lie, was worried about that here in MD where we have a 7-day wait on handguns. Bought one last Saturday. Just got my “not disapproved” notice this morning from state police. So I can go pick it up when my LGS opens later today.

    Mine was more of a “hey, I wanted that” spur of the moment purchase decision, not a “I don’t own a gun and I am scared”. So if it had to wait a long time, so be it. Though I’ll admit, the guy who runs the shop is a bit older and probably does have some health issues. So if he had to shut his doors, I would worry he might not be around to reopen them eventually and transfer my purchase to me.

    No such shelter in place orders from my governor yet, but my state isn’t hammered as hard as some of the others yet. Now in a week…who knows.

    This is the kind of crap that happens when you institute mandatory waiting periods and crap.

  22. An enterprising FFL might meet one-on-one with customers. Just because the business is “closed”, that doesn’t mean the owner can’t be there and just happen to answer a knock at the door.

  23. Californians get the government they voted for. The politicians come and go but citizens keep voting in DemoRats. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

  24. Say what you want Newsom but your order does not and will not override our Presidents order. Until the president himself declares martial law you are just talking out of your ass and I hope most Americans can see we will not be controlled by any of you money hungry traitors. GFYS

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