Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton of Fresno has struck down a law that sought to provide Californians with protection against criminals intent on buying handgun ammunition.
The law would have required that people buying handgun ammunition provide identification and a thumb print. That information would be compared against a database to make sure the person buying bullets is legally entitled to own a gun.
Incredibly, the California Rifle and Pistol Association, Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker and a Fresno gun dealer sued to block the law, Assembly Bill 962 of 2009, from taking effect.
Sen. Kevin DeLeon, D-Los Angeles, carried the bill and then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it after a felon bought ammunition and shot two Long Beach police officers.
Hamilton agreed with attorney Chuck Michel, who represents gun owners nationally, that the legislation was unconstitutionally vague because it restricted the sale of ammunition that is "principally" for use in handguns.
Yes, some types of bullets are used in handguns and in long guns. But Hamilton should have known that many types of bullets are far more commonly used in handguns.
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