45Hoop
Member
California Senate Votes to Require Thumbprint to Buy Bullets
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
The California Senate has passed a bill that would require ammunition buyers to provide a thumb print when the purchase is made. But a pro-Second Amendment group is condemning what it calls "an insidious invasion of privacy."
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) says that keeping records on ammunition sales has proven ineffective in fighting crime. "Requiring a thumbprint moves this idea into the realm of the ludicrous," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron.
"It's a waste of time and taxpayers' money, but more importantly, this constitutes a serious privacy issue. If this measure dealt with something other than a gun control issue, the ACLU would be screaming about it," Waldron added.
He said if the measure becomes state law, it would be yet another example of how California lawmakers treat honest gun owners like criminals.
"What comes next?" Waldron asked. "Will citizens be required to submit a fingerprint to buy a car? Will the next dumb idea force gun owners to submit their medical records before they can legally buy firearms and ammunition?"
Senate Bill 1152 passed the California Senate last week by a vote of 22-16 and now has been sent to the Assembly.
The bill requires that "all vendors of ammunition maintain specified information" on ammunition buyers, including: (1) the date of the transaction; (2) the name, address, and date of birth of the buyer; (3) the buyer's driver's license or other identification number and the state in which it was issued; (4) the brand, type, and amount of ammunition bought or transferred; (5) the buyer's signature; (6) the name of the salesperson who processed the transaction; and (7) "the vendor shall also at the time of purchase or transfer obtain the right thumbprint of the purchaser or transferee."
The information would have to be recorded on a special form provided by the State Department of Justice.
California law already makes it a crime for people who are prohibited from possessing firearms to possess ammunition. And it is a misdemeanor for any person to sell ammunition to anyone under the age of 18.
The Senate bill says dealers would have to retain records on ammunition sales for at least two years. Those records, CCRKBA said, might be used as evidence in cases where people who are barred from owning guns and ammunition are charged with illegally buying them.
"If this measure is enacted, it might result in the creation of a black market for ammunition," said Waldron. "It could also open the way for retailers to be prosecuted for a technical violation if they don't get a readable fingerprint. How many gun dealers know the proper way to roll a thumbprint? Is anybody in Sacramento thinking about any of this?" he asked.
CCRKBA said gun rights groups fought similar proposals 10 years ago because they accomplished nothing. "It would appear that some California lawmakers are no smarter now than they were then," Waldron said.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says it is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
Copyright CNSNews.com
Boy do we need some help out here!
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
The California Senate has passed a bill that would require ammunition buyers to provide a thumb print when the purchase is made. But a pro-Second Amendment group is condemning what it calls "an insidious invasion of privacy."
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) says that keeping records on ammunition sales has proven ineffective in fighting crime. "Requiring a thumbprint moves this idea into the realm of the ludicrous," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron.
"It's a waste of time and taxpayers' money, but more importantly, this constitutes a serious privacy issue. If this measure dealt with something other than a gun control issue, the ACLU would be screaming about it," Waldron added.
He said if the measure becomes state law, it would be yet another example of how California lawmakers treat honest gun owners like criminals.
"What comes next?" Waldron asked. "Will citizens be required to submit a fingerprint to buy a car? Will the next dumb idea force gun owners to submit their medical records before they can legally buy firearms and ammunition?"
Senate Bill 1152 passed the California Senate last week by a vote of 22-16 and now has been sent to the Assembly.
The bill requires that "all vendors of ammunition maintain specified information" on ammunition buyers, including: (1) the date of the transaction; (2) the name, address, and date of birth of the buyer; (3) the buyer's driver's license or other identification number and the state in which it was issued; (4) the brand, type, and amount of ammunition bought or transferred; (5) the buyer's signature; (6) the name of the salesperson who processed the transaction; and (7) "the vendor shall also at the time of purchase or transfer obtain the right thumbprint of the purchaser or transferee."
The information would have to be recorded on a special form provided by the State Department of Justice.
California law already makes it a crime for people who are prohibited from possessing firearms to possess ammunition. And it is a misdemeanor for any person to sell ammunition to anyone under the age of 18.
The Senate bill says dealers would have to retain records on ammunition sales for at least two years. Those records, CCRKBA said, might be used as evidence in cases where people who are barred from owning guns and ammunition are charged with illegally buying them.
"If this measure is enacted, it might result in the creation of a black market for ammunition," said Waldron. "It could also open the way for retailers to be prosecuted for a technical violation if they don't get a readable fingerprint. How many gun dealers know the proper way to roll a thumbprint? Is anybody in Sacramento thinking about any of this?" he asked.
CCRKBA said gun rights groups fought similar proposals 10 years ago because they accomplished nothing. "It would appear that some California lawmakers are no smarter now than they were then," Waldron said.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says it is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
Copyright CNSNews.com
Boy do we need some help out here!
:banghead: 
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