Firearms: ammunition sales.

(1) Existing law, as amended by the Safety for All Act of 2016, approved by voters as Proposition 63 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, requires the sale of ammunition to be conducted by or processed through a licensed ammunition vendor. Existing law exempts the sale, delivery, or transfer of ammunition to specified individuals, including a sworn peace officer or sworn federal law enforcement officer who is authorized to carry a firearm in the course and scope of the officer's duties, and a representative of a law enforcement agency, with written authorization from the head of the agency, purchasing ammunition for the exclusive use of the agency. A violation of this provision is a misdemeanor. Proposition 63 allows its provisions to be amended by a vote of 55% of the Legislature so long as the amendments are consistent with and further the intent of the act. The bill would exempt from the above-described ammunition purchasing requirement a licensed private patrol operator or an agent or employee of the private patrol operator, a person registered as a security guard or security patrolperson who also holds a valid firearm permit issued by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs, who purchases or receives ammunition for use in the normal course and scope of his or her employment, and a sheriff's or police security officer. The bill would also exempt from the above-described ammunition purchasing requirement a person employed by a forensic laboratory who purchases, receives, or transfers ammunition for use in the normal course and scope of laboratory operations. The bill would also, for purposes of the written authorization for a law enforcement representative to purchase ammunition for an agency, identify individuals who are deemed to be the head of the agency under specified circumstances. (2) Existing law, as added by the Safety for All Act of 2016, approved by voters as Proposition 63 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, also prohibits a resident of this state from bringing or transporting into the state any ammunition that he or she purchased or otherwise obtained from outside of this state unless he or she first has that ammunition delivered to a licensed ammunition vendor, as specified. Existing law exempts specified individuals from this ammunition transport and delivery requirement, including a sworn peace officer or sworn federal law enforcement officer who is authorized to carry a firearm in the course and scope of the officer's duties. A violation of this provision is an infraction for any first time offense, and either an infraction or a misdemeanor for a subsequent offense. Proposition 63 allows its provisions to be amended by a vote of 55% of the Legislature so long as the amendments are consistent with, and further the intent of, the act. This bill would exempt from the above-described ammunition transport and delivery requirement a licensed private patrol operator or an agent or employee of the private patrol operator, a registered security guard or security patrolperson who also holds a valid firearm permit issued by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs, as specified. (3) Existing law requires the Department of Justice to keep a centralized list of persons who identify themselves as being licensed under applicable federal law as a dealer, importer, or manufacturer of firearms whose licensed premises are within this state and who declare exemption from specified state licensing requirements. Existing law requires the department to make information compiled from the list available for requests from law enforcement agencies and specified local licensing authorities, and when the information is requested by a federal firearms licensee for determining the validity of the license for firearm shipments. The bill would additionally require the department to make that information available when the information is requested by a licensed ammunition vendor to determine the validity of the license for an ammunition sale. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.