Loaded ideas
Following a terrible week of mass shootings in Gilroy and across the country, Gov. Gavin Newsom is floating a new idea.
“I’d like to see (the federal government) model California’s background check on ammunition purchases,” Newsom said to reporters Monday, during a state meeting about gun violence. “Guns don’t kill people, guns require a dangerous component, and that’s ammunition.”
Newsom is referring to Proposition 63, which California voters passed overwhelmingly in 2016. The law, which went into effect in July, created a new review process for ammunition purchases: Dealers must now run a potential buyer’s ID through California’s Automated Firearms System and ensure that the buyer has no felony convictions or other red flags before the purchase.
In its first month, the new law has prevented more than
100 people from buying bullets illegally. It took an average of five minutes to process each transaction.
The state released this information as a result of a lawsuit filed against Proposition 63 by the National Rifle Association’s California affiliate, so the path for this measure isn’t completely clear yet.
Still, Newsom’s suggestion is interesting, and not only because the recent death toll has inspired California lawmakers to agitate for more and better gun control.
Few gun control measures will have any impact on the immense flood of guns already held by the U.S. population. But restrictions on ammunition could prevent dangerous people who already have guns from using them against the public.
California’s experience with Proposition 63 remains new. But Congress should consider it as a potential model for the rest of the country.