Glitches snarl start of California’s ammo background checks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chris Puehse, owner of Foothill Ammo displays a .45 caliber bullet for sell at his store in Shingle Springs, Calif., on June 11. Californians will have to undergo criminal background checks every time they buy ammunition starting today under a 2016 voter-approved ballot initiative.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. >> On the first day California has required background checks for every ammunition purchase, dealers are reporting delays and glitches with the state’s online system.
But they said few customers have been affected today because most had stockpiled bullets or shotgun shells in the weeks before the law took effect.
Voters in 2016 approved requiring criminal background checks every time someone buys ammunition. The state’s latest attempt to deter gun violence took effect today.
Vendors the length of California were frustrated by online snags, including their inability to easily log in to the new system. But some chalked it up to a predicable learning curve.
Officials with the state Department of Justice, which administers the program, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
