Gun Ammunition sales are increasing in San Diego. That’s because starting July 1 a new law will make it harder to buy bullets.
LAX Ammunition, in Kearny Mesa is considered one of the largest ammo sales stores in San Diego and the owner tells NBC 7 ammunition sales average about $300,000 a month, and in recent weeks those sales have gone up significantly.
“Ammunition sales have gone up, it’s been extremely busy, a lot of large transactions, people are anticipating not being able to buy ammo in California anymore,” said co-owner of LAX Ammunition.
This is due to Prop 63, a new law that will require customers who purchase bullets to show a photo ID and pay for an instant background check. The law also requires people in California to buy ammo face-to-face from a licensed dealer versus ordering online. The law was approved three years ago to allow the Department of Justice to set new guidelines.
J. Daniel Jones from Glocksore said many people are still confused about the rules.
“You have to apply to be able to buy ammo, they have to run a background check, it costs you $19, and it could take 5 to 10 days for them to get back,” said Jones. “They haven't fully defined the law yet, all they know is that on July 1st that buying ammo is going to be different.”
The co-owner of LAX Ammunition told NBC 7 that he expects to lose business after the law goes into effect on July 1st.
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“People go to Arizona to buy ammo, its a two-and-a-half-hour driving distance for us. I think we'll just lose a lot of clientele in California and the ammunition business will slow down a lot,” said co-owner of LAX Ammunition.
NBC 7 also spoke with the anti-gun group, Never Again California. They praised the new law and said restrictions on ammunition reduce the risk of mass shootings.
