Why CA Gun Owners Are Rushing To Buy Ammunition

California gun owners are eager to get their hands on ammunition after a federal appeals court struck down a state law requiring background checks for ammunition purchases, reports CalMatters’ Joe Garcia.

Last week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a blow to gun control advocates and California’s own policy framework when it ruled that the state’s first-in-the-nation law “meaningfully constrains California residents’ right to keep and bear arms.”

Voters approved the law in 2016, which required buyers to undergo background checks, and effectively banned online sales of ammunition by requiring in-person transactions with a licensed dealer. Out-of-state ammunition purchases must also be delivered from that state to a licensed seller in California.

• J.R. Young, a San Jose gun owner: “Is this freedom week? … The way we live in society now — when we want to buy something, we don’t want to go and take a trip to the store.”

But changes aren’t happening just yet. Citing “a number of procedural steps that must take place,” the California Department of Justice notified gun and ammunition dealers days after the court ruling that background check requirements remain in effect until further notice.

This isn’t the first time the 2016 law has been held in a state of limbo: In 2020 a federal judge also struck down the legislation, only for the state to successfully appeal the decision afterward. Last week’s court decision follows a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded some gun rights and limited state and local governments’ abilities to regulate guns.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has not said whether the state would appeal the most recent ruling.

Meanwhile, the state Senate is currently considering a bill that would ban the sale of new Glock-brand handguns in California, after the measure advanced through the Assembly in June.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.