It has come to our attention that there is a lot of confusion and there are many misconceptions out there regarding ammunition sales in California and particularly with LAX AMMO and our retail stores.

LAX would like to help our customers understand the new laws a little better:

First and foremost LAX is open for business at all of our retail stores and is operating within new DOJ regulations. All stores have an Ammunition Vendors license and have had one since opening on Jan 2nd, 2018. Rumors on the Internet have suggested otherwise! All of our employees carry and have Certificates of eligibility, which allow the employees to handle and sell ammunition.

What has changed since the new law has gone into effect?

The main changes are that ALL ammunition has to be behind the counter or out of reach of potential customers.   LAX has dedicated floor space, behind gated areas, where customers can view the ammo. The customers can let us know what they would like and an LAX employee will retrieve the ammo for them. It’s a huge inconvenience for both LAX and our customers, but we believe we have made this transition in the best possible way to make it easy to shop. The new law makes it more “employee-intensive” as well, and the cost of the gates and extra employees will cause some slight price increases on some of our ammo.

This leads me to another rumor I keep reading online.

Some customers are of the belief we are here to take advantage of you by increasing our prices and/or “price gouging”. This could not be further from the truth. Though customers may see some price increases to help pay for these new costs, the overall increase will be minimal. It is important to mention that prices of ammo over the last year plus have been at 8-year lows. Copper and lead prices have gone up this past year and all of the major manufacturers have and/or will be raising prices minimally going forward (I have been informed of and/or have already seen some of these increases). For the most part, ammo prices are still very low and we are committed to offering the lowest prices of any ammo retailer in California. Also, contrary to popular belief, there are not huge margins on ammunition. The current political environment has caused this industry to be caught in a “buyers market” for many years now!

Another big change in the law is that all transactions have to be face to face.

This makes Internet purchases from most companies like Cheaper Than Dirt and Lucky Gunner next to impossible within the state of California. Ammunition buyers will need to go into a retail store to purchase ammo. The only ways to get around this is by having the seller ship the ammo to an Ammunition Vendor or FFL and have them handle the transfer. LAX ONLINE will be implementing this procedure over the next 30 days and will have a map of authorized Ammunition Vendor pick up locations in areas we don’t already have a retail location. This comes at a big price tag from our website developers but we feel it necessary in order to get our brand and product out to our valued California customers that don’t have access to our retail stores.

LAX specializes in the manufacturing and selling of ammunition.

We are equipped with a knowledgeable staff that can apply the appropriate amount of attention to help customers within the new regulations, thereby minimizing the extra inconvenience to the customers. Major retailers like Walmart, Big 5, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and even Turner’s, may not be equipped to handle the changes with the same dedication to customer service we offer.

Gun Shows are still going to have the same procedures

Gun Shows are still going to have the same procedures except the ammo won’t be within reach of the customer. LAX and our sister company Redline Ballistics will be attending the same number of shows and our gun show schedule can be found on our website.

Can we still ship ammo out of state?

Yes! LAX Ammo is still shipping ammunition out of state. If you have a residence in California you can still order ammunition; however, it must be shipped to an out of state address. Your billing address can be within CA, as long as the shipping address is not.

Finally, a lot of people believe that there are limits on the amount of ammo that they can purchase or that the ammunition needs to be registered at the point of sale.

Currently, this is not true and is just a rumor. July 2019 is when the background checks will occur and customers will need an ammunition purchase card. This is basically a card that will allow the purchase of ammo after a background check conducted by CA DOJ. The cost may be up to $50.00 to get this card and the card will be valid for 2-4 years. It will be similar to a background check that one needs to buy a firearm in the state of California. All Vendors will then be required to record these transactions, which will most likely collect dust. This will be another new challenge for all of us in 18 months.

For the time being, the changes are somewhat minimal.

As you can see though, our inherent rights are being eroded year after year. We can all complain after the fact but I highly recommend voicing your opinions and fighting for our rights at the ballot boxes when the time comes.

LAX appreciates any feedback or questions. I will be happy to answer as many as I possibly can. We look forward to your continued business and serving your ammunition and firearms accessory needs. Hopefully, this clears things up a little!!

Sincerely,

Daniel Kash
LAX AMMO and Firing Range

For more information on California gun and ammunition laws click here.