Firearms Industry Remains Critical of
Governor Following Press
Conference on Ammunition Bill

NEWTOWN, Conn – Facing his lowest approval ratings (27 percent) in his six years as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) today attempted to mitigate fall-out from his decision to sign into law legislation (AB 962) he vetoed just five years earlier establishing ammunition registration in the Golden State. The governor claimed his flip-flopping on the issue was based on public safety, a far cry from his veto statement in 2004 when he called such burdensome regulations “simply unworkable” and of “no public benefit.”

The California Association of Firearms Retailers (CAFR) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry – have remained highly critical of the governor’s acquiescence to the gun-control lobby, using his own statistics against him.

NSSF has estimated that AB 962 would cost California at least $2.92 million annually in lost sales taxes and $629,000 in increased operating costs for state agencies. Lost retail sales in California were estimated at $35.7 million. These estimates followed the recent release of a study by the Governor's Office of Small Business Advocate that show over-regulation of small businesses in California costing the state an estimated $492 billion, almost five times the state’s general fund budget and almost a third of the state’s gross product. The Small Business Advocate study also found that California’s regulatory burdens costs an average of $134,122 per California business, $13,801 per household and $4,685 per resident each year. Small businesses are 98 percent of the state's enterprises and provide 52 percent of the jobs.

“Despite the excuses given this morning by the governor, nothing will change the fact that this legislation will drive many small, independent retailers already struggling in a poor economy out of business or force them to flee California’s burdensome and hostile regulatory environment for greener economic pastures elsewhere-- taking with them their jobs and tax revenue,” said CAFR President Marc Halcon.

Criticism over ammunition registration has been mounting as details of the legislation have come to light. “As small business owners are beginning to understand the full ramifications of this legislation, including the stringent storage requirements for ammunition, our phones have been ringing off the hook,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.

The retail-storage requirements associated with AB 962 will go into effect this January (2010), giving small businesses only two months to come into compliance, while the rest of the bill, including the capturing and storage of personal consumer data, goes into effect in 2011, well after the governor is out of office and able to escape criticism from law-abiding consumers.

Commenting on how an ammunition registry will ultimately affect law-abiding citizens, Halcon noted, “Those retailers who can afford to stay in California will be forced to substantially raise prices on law-abiding consumers who, under AB 962, will now be fingerprinted like common criminals simply for exercising their Second Amendment rights.”

Halcon concluded, “Like the layers of gun control California already has on the books, ammunition registration will do nothing to curb crime. It is silly, at best, to think criminals will stand in line to be fingerprinted to buy ammunition from licensed retailers. Governor Schwarzenegger has just created an underground black market for ammunition."

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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