All California gun sales would be required to be video tapped under a bill proposed by Sacramento Assembly member Kevin McCarty.
“I think a lot of gun stores in California do this already,” McCarty, a Democrat, said of recording gun sales. “It’s for their own protection, to make sure to see what’s happening with these gun transactions.”
San Francisco lawmakers passed a local ordinance last fall that mandates gun stores record sales. The move led to the closure of the city’s only gun shop.
Proponents of McCarty’s bill contend if all gun sales are video recorded, it would deter people from illegally buying guns for other people who cannot pass background checks.
McCarty’s bill, AB 2459, does a few other things beyond recording sales.
The bill would require gun dealers be insured, gives the state attorney general enforcement power and bans in-home guns sales by licensed gun dealers. These residential gun sales are already banned in 59 cities and counties in California.
The current penalty for violating the law the first time would not exceed $500. Failure to take corrective action, resulting in another violation, would be a fine not exceeding $2,000. But these penalties could be amended as the bill goes through the legislative process.
“Unfortunately, about five percent of (sales from) gun dealers account for about 90 percent of guns found at crime scenes by police,” McCarty said. “We really need to make sure we bring more tools to focus on gun stores that really aren’t following the rules and are creating problems and safety issues for our citizens in California.”
