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Berkeley Assemblywoman Proposes Strict New Regulations On Ammunition

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - A California assemblywoman has introduced a bill that would regulate ammunition sales in the state.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner unveiled the measure during a news conference in Oakland on Monday. It would establish restrictions similar to those covering gun sales. Those restrictions require sellers to be licensed and buyers to have and show valid identification.

The Berkeley Democrat said it is currently easier to buy ammunition in California than it is to buy certain medicine, alcohol and tobacco.

She said, "We want to make it as difficult to buy bullets as it is to buy cold medicine."

Skinner said Assembly Bill 48, co-authored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, would require ammunition sellers to be licensed and purchasers to show identification, and would mandate that sellers report all sales to the state Department of Justice.

She said it also would require the Department of Justice to create a registry of ammunition purchases that would be available to all law enforcement agencies and to notify law enforcement of large-quantity ammunition purchases.

In addition, Skinner said, the legislation would ban the kits that convert ammunition-feeding devices into high-capacity magazines.

East Bay Leaders Stand Behind Proposed Bill To Regulate Sale Of Gun Ammo

"Currently gun owners can take a magazine with 10 rounds and increase it to hold as many rounds as their gun can hold," Skinner said.

Related Content: CBS 5 Coverage of 'The Bullet Button'

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and most members of the Oakland City Council joined Skinner at the news conference to support her bill, as did Emeryville Police Chief Ken James, the chair of the gun committee for the California Police Chiefs Association; Diane Brown, the president of United Teachers of Richmond; and religious leaders.

A spokesman for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, which joined the National Rifle Association in a successful court fight against a previous state effort to regulate ammunition sales, couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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