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Ammunition stores in California will be forced to either close down or continue selling ammunition while breaking the law thanks to the state’s Department of Justice (DOJ) failing to issue their vendor licenses on time.
The licenses are a new requirement this year, passed in July 2016 as a part of Prop 63 which requires individuals or businesses to obtain a one-year license from the California DOJ to sell ammunition and to conduct background checks of purchasers.
The California DOJ missed the Jan. 1, 2018 deadline to issue the licenses to ammunition stores, leaving the roughly 230 business owners who applied and paid the fees for the licenses stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Craig Deluz, who works for the Firearms Policy Coalition, told KCRA that the missed deadline will force ammunition stores to close.
“Unless the California Department of Justice basically says we’re not going to enforce the law, they really don’t have a choice,” Deluz said.
Foothill Ammo owner Chris Puehse still plans to open his Cameron Park store in Sacramento's El Dorado County on Tuesday. He said it’s not his problem the California DOJ failed to issue his vendor license on time.
“I did all my paper work. I paid the fees. They’ve had time to figure this out. This is not my problem,” Puehse said.
“I have a family to feed, I have a mortgage to pay, I got a lease on my store, I got to stay in business,” he went on to say.
El Dorado County Sheriff John D'agostini is refusing to the enforce the law which he deems “unenforceable at this time.” He said the state is at fault for missing the deadline it imposed in the first place.
“That’s unacceptable, that’s harm to them,” said D’agostini. “I can’t enforce it, nor will I allow the state to come in and enforce it when it’s unenforceable at this time.”
On the California DOJ Bureau of Firearms webpage, a notice about the legislation says that “the Department expects to issue a license electronically.”
“If an application is denied, the Department will inform the applicant of the reason for the denial in writing,” the notice reads.
So far, none of the applicants have received any notice of approval or denial.
For more, check out the KCRA report here.
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