Damn the Economics, Full Regulation Ahead!

From Katherine Albrecht of CASPIAN comes word of a doozy of a bill working its way through the Kalifornia legislature. Bill advances to put serial number on every bullet, says the San Francisco Chronicle headline. First paragraph:

A proposal to put a serial number on every handgun bullet passed a Senate committee Tuesday and law enforcement officials said they hoped the novel effort would spread to other states.

And more:

Purchasers would pay up to a halfpenny per bullet to fund record-keeping by the state Department of Justice on every handgun-caliber bullet made or sold in California. Vendors would pay up to $50 a year to register. Rifle ammunition would be exempted, though some calibers are used in both handguns and long guns.

And of course, the police and military are exempted. Wouldn't want that kind of evidence pinning them down. :rolleyes:

As usual, the real purpose isn't stated until the last sentence -- but at least it's bluntly stated in this piece:

[Sen.] Dunn [the bill's sponsor] said the California proposal is the first step toward a national system.

Who does he think he's kidding? Manufacturers almost certainly can't afford two entirely separate production lines, whether it's for the exempted jackboot class or for just one state. Very interestingly, the article doesn't say anything about whether the unnumbered stores of ammunition would magically become illegal should the bill become law ... all it says is that the law would take effect in 2007. AG Bill "What's the Constitution?" Lockyer supports the bill.

Addendum: I was too lazy to track down the text of the bill, but another CASPIAN staffer wasn't: here's the text of CA Senate Bill 357 -- what an ironic number for it! There's a provision that would penalize unnumbered ammo carried in public places -- a misdemeanor that would have a maximum $500 fine.