A 400% fee increase for purchasing ammo? That’s not a typo California just made a $1 background check a $5 ceremony, and gun owners are getting burned. Some may snark that a $4 charge is just a latte, but to many, it’s one in a long series of pains that make exercising a constitutional right feel like navigating a bureaucratic maze.
But this isn’t merely about a few dollars more. In California, a knotty complex of legislation, courtroom battles, and political gamesmanship is complicating life further for the state’s law-abiding gun owners. From disputed court decisions to the persistent demand for additional limits, here’s what’s actually occurring and why it comes down to now more than ever before.
1. The 400% Ammo Fee Spike: More Than Just Pocket Change
Since July 1, California ammunition purchasers are paying $5 per background check a 400% increase from the former $1 fee. The California Department of Justice asserts the increase is necessary to fund the system, but critics aren’t convinced. Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson explained to KRCR News, “There’s no big cost for them to do it… It’s just another way to make it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their rights.”
This isn’t about the money. For many, it’s about principle. For each purchase, gun owners are now paying sales tax, an 11% excise tax, and this new background check fee. As Sheriff Johnson bluntly stated, “How far are they going to go?”
2. How Prop 63 and DOJ Debt Led to This Mess
The origin of this fee increase lies in Proposition 63, which was approved in 2016, requiring background checks for every ammo purchase. The state took out a $25 million loan to establish the system, relying on 13 million transactions annually to repay it. But reality was tough: actual transactions were fewer than 10% of that number, according to attorney Matt Cubeiro.
Purchasers began buying in bulk or forgoing purchases entirely to avoid the recurring charges, leaving the system financially underwritten. The DOJ’s solution? Increase the fee and expect gun owners to pay for a failed business model. It’s an old policy gone awry.
3. Legal Battles: Courts Strike Down, Then Stall Ammo Laws
In January 2024, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez permanently enjoined California’s ammunition background check statute, stating, “The ammunition background checks laws have no historical pedigree and operate in such a way that they violate the Second Amendment right of citizens to keep and bear arms.” (Judge permanently blocks California ammo background check law)
But the celebration was brief. The Ninth Circuit issued a rapid stay, which means the law and the new $5 charge stands while appeals linger. Legal experts predict this rollercoaster of justice might have consequences for similar laws in other states. In the meantime, California gun owners are in limbo, paying extra and waiting for resolution.
4. False Denials and Red Tape: When the System Fails
The background check system isn’t only costly it’s faulty. In the first half of 2022, over 58,000 of 538,000 checks were denied, primarily because of straightforward name or address discrepancies, not criminal history (Judge permanently blocks California ammo background check law). Judge Benitez likened it to “having to pass a credit check every time a car owner needs to fill the gas tank.”
These government gaffes prevent law-abiding citizens from purchasing ammo on a regular basis sometimes at their time of greatest need. As Benitez observed, “All a plaintiff needs to allege is that by denying him the ability to purchase ammunition, the government’s background check system violated his right to bear arms for self-defense.”
5. Do These Laws Actually Stop Crime? The Jury’s Still Out
Supporters argue that background checks keep ammo out of the wrong hands, but even the DOJ has stopped touting results. Attorney Matt Cubeiro pointed out, “If you’re a criminal, you’re not going to a gun store to buy ammunition. You’re going to find other ways to get it.”
The statistics support him: the majority of denials are based on paperwork problems, not criminal motives. Meanwhile, the system continues to add expense and delay to those who are law-abiding, with scant proof that it’s putting anyone safer.
6. The “Death by a Thousand Fees” Phenomenon
Between the new $5 background check, the 11% excise tax, and regular sales taxes, California gun owners are being subjected to what critics refer to as “death by a thousand fees”. These aren’t fines for violating the law, they’re obstacles for citizens who do everything legally.
As Sheriff Johnson succinctly explained, “It’s not about public safety. It’s about making it harder for regular people to own guns, Period.” Frustration is palpable, and many believe they’re being penalised for exercising a right.
7. The Never-Ending Legal and Legislative Tug-of-War
Even while courts invalidate the old ones, legislators have new ones waiting in the wings. The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision invalidated California’s one-gun-per-month law as unconstitutional, reiterating that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to own and carry arms more than one. Legislators are already promoting Assembly Bill 1078, which would restrict purchases to three guns per month in the event of a reversal by the court.
This legal game of leapfrog keeps gun owners in a perpetual state of anxiety, never sure what the rules are going to be next month. As attorney Cubeiro put it, “They’re planning for it. That’s troubling.”
California’s ammo fee surge is only the most recent turn in a tale that refuses to wind down. For gun owners, it’s not about the cash; it’s about the constant drip of new regulations, fees, and aggravation that turn a constitutional right into a privilege. As the courts and legislatures continue to yank and haul, one thing is certain: California’s gun culture is preparing for whatever lies ahead, intent on keeping their voices and their rights alive.
