Confusion Remains Over CA Background Checks for Ammo Purchases

FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — Starting July 1, Californians seeking to buy ammunition in the state will have to undergo a background check, as part a gun control measure approved back in 2016.

However, confusion remains over what kind of documentation will be required.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom incorrectly stated that, “if you don’t have a Real ID, then you have to provide the same documentation that would otherwise be required of you at the Department of Motor Vehicles. So, you could have your traditional license, you just have to provide those other forms.”

The California Department of Justice quickly issued a contradiction, saying that there are no Real ID mandates in the new policies pertaining to ammo purchases.

The department says the only licenses that are not acceptable, are those which state that “federal limits apply,” including those granted to undocumented immigrants, under a law California passed in 2013.

Aaron Abeytia