Major Parts of California Ammunition Law Struck Down

It was a dumb law to begin with:

A trial court judge in central California has thrown out key sections of a state law restricting handgun ammunition sales, barring authorities from registering bullet buyers' thumbprints on the grounds that it would be unconstitutional.

Gun rights supporters applauded Tuesday's ruling in Fresno County Superior Court, saying the law would have created uncertainty by forcing local sheriffs and firearms shops to decide for themselves what caliber of bullets were covered under the regulations.

The statute also would have compelled customers to buy their handgun ammunition in face-to-face transactions, which they said would not have prevented a tragedy like the Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Arizona that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Authorities said shooting suspect Jared Loughner legally purchased 9 mm ammunition the morning he opened fire at Giffords' district meet-and -greet outside a supermarket on the northern outskirts of Tucson.

Parts of the law may still be implemented, and California's newly elected attorney general Kamala Harris is considering an appeal, spokesman Jim Finefrock said Wednesday.

"This was just going to cost police and shell ammunition sellers money. It really wasn't going to stop violent crime or criminals from getting ammunition," said attorney Chuck Michel, who brought the case on behalf of the California Rifle and Pistol Association Foundation with partial funding from the National Rifle Association. "All this was going to do was impose a tremendous and expensive burden on law enforcement."

None of these laws ever make a significant impact on gun crime. They just make liberals feel like they're doing something important.