Action – Vote “YES” to close a loophole on ammo sales & raise fees on firearms sales for gun-related programs.
AB 1669 updates existing law by applying the same gun show regulations that already apply to firearms dealers to ammunition vendors, increasing the Dealer Record of Sale fee (DROS) for firearm purchases from $14 to $32.19, and authorizing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to adjust the DROS fee as needed to ensure adequate funding for firearms-related notifications and services paid for by that account.
These ever-increasing services and programs are provided by our state hospitals, mental health facilities, local law enforcement, and other agencies, and include assessments of those who may be prohibited from possessing weapons, the processing of protective orders, as well as the regulatory cost of processing firearms transactions.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Assemblymember [___] to vote “YES on AB 1669: Gun Shows and events.
Call today and tomorrow. We’ll keep this updated for when the actual vote occurs.
Contact: State Assemblymember Monique Limón: (CA-37): SAC (916) 319-2037.
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Background and Major Provisions
1) This bill updates existing law by aligning the requirements of ammunition vendors at guns shows with those of firearms dealers. According to the bill’s sponsor, Xavier Becerra, Attorney General of California: “Proposition 63, the Safety for All Act, passed in 2016 and among several provisions related to firearms and ammunition, required sales of ammunition to be conducted by or processed through a licensed dealer. Unfortunately, not all vendors were covered by the resulting law. “Independent ammunition vendors” – those that only sell ammunition, are federally-licensed, and are based outside of California – can sell ammunition at gun shows without being required to obtain the same state licenses that are required of California-based vendors. AB 1669 closes this loophole by requiring any entity selling ammunition in the state to be licensed by the state.”
2) Increases the DROS fee that the DOJ may require a firearms dealer to collect from a firearm purchaser from $14 to $32.19. DROS should have been raised consistent with the Consumer Price Index over the past 15 years, but it was not, so this bill corrects that oversight. “Over the past several years numerous bills were signed into law that drew from the DROS Special Account. During that time there were no compensating increases in the base DROS fee to cover the resulting increase in DOJ’s workload. Even if the DOJ had raised the fee each year since 2004 to account for any increase in the Consumer Price index, there would still be a shortfall of $5.38 per transaction. The Governor’s 2019-20 Budget recognized the need to stabilize funding for DROS programs and included $6.9 million in General Funds to address some of the recent workload increases. Unfortunately, this amount does not fully cover the unfunded workload.”
3) Expands use of the DROS funds to any firearms-related activity required of the DOJ for which there is no sustainable source of funding.
4) Authorizes DOJ to increase or decrease the DROS fee in order to ensure that adequate funding is available to fund the programs paid for by the DROS account.
5) Prohibits an increase in the DROS fee that exceeds the costs necessary to continue to fund programs paid for by DROS, and other firearms-related activity, as specified.
6) Requires, as of January 10, 2021, and on or before January 10 for each subsequent year that the DOJ publish on its website notice of whether or not any adjustment will be made to the DROS fee.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 