CA now requires background checks for all ammo purchases

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California will require background checks for all gun ammunition purchases after a new law went into effect this week.

California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but state leaders hope the new rule will decrease violence even more so by cracking down at the root of the problem, according to The Associated Press.

“At the end of the day, it is a perverse fact: Guns don’t kill people. Unless a gun is used as a blunt instrument, a gun is not particularly dangerous,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Monday, according to Fox 40. “A gun requires a dangerous component and that’s ammunition.”

The law that went into effect Monday makes California the first state to require background checks for ammo.

“The reality is, if we’re only monitoring gun sales, we’re only looking at part of the problem and part of the equation,” state Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) said.

The measure was approved by voters in 2016 and given a deadline of July 1 to be implemented, the AP notes. Gun owners were reportedly stocking up on ammo in recent weeks as the new law was set to take effect.

If a gun owner is already in the state’s registry and cleared with a background check, they will only pay a $1 processing fee each time they go to buy ammo.

Store owners will then run each buyer’s background check through the system for a “spot check” to ensure there are no new criminal convictions or mental health red flags.

If they pass, gun owners will be able to buy their ammo on the spot without delay.