THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME: NOTES FROM THE FRONT : Bullets Fly in Debate Over Ammunition

Beginning Nov. 1, sellers of pistol ammunition have been required by a new Los Angeles city law to record the identities of buyers, but whether the law will have any effect on violent crime is the subject of debate.

Many gun shop and sporting goods store owners argue that it is just another paperwork burden that will accomplish nothing in the fight to prevent crimes or track down criminals. Others split off from the usually solid ranks of gun rights defenders, saying it’s worth a try.

The Records of Ammunition Sales ordinance requires ammunition dealers to record the date of the sale, the type and quantity of pistol ammunition, and the name, address, date of birth and driver’s license number of the purchaser.

The records must be kept at the store for two years. It is a misdemeanor to fail to keep the record or to give a false name or information.

This means that if detectives investigating a crime already have a suspect under investigation, they may--or may not--be able to locate the record if they check the files at enough of the hundreds of ammunition dealers in the city, who sell thousands of boxes of ammunition daily.

That could show that the suspect bought ammunition of the type used in a crime--although it would not be proof that the ammunition was actually used in the crime. Spent bullets or cartridge cases recovered at a crime scene still bear no identifying numbers or marks that would link them to a specific sale, and the sales records would not change that. And there would be no record of ammunition bought before the law went into effect, or outside the city limits.

City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who helped put through the measure, said it was needed to “manage the level of violence in the city of Los Angeles. This is just one of the ways that we can legislate it out of existence.”

Although he was vague when pressed for the specific mechanics of how the ordinance would prevent crimes or lead to arrests, he said he is “convinced that we have to act responsibly about the use of ammunition. This act was just one way to send a message.”

Criticism comes from gun shop owners and firearms rights groups. “It’s just a waste of taxpayers money and it’s not going to prevent anyone from buying as many bullets as they want,” said Dan Gallant, who sells firearms at Gun World in Northridge.

“If there is a crime that happens and we are trying to somehow trace the [sale of the] bullets we will have to look at millions of pages,” Gallant said. “It wouldn’t be a hassle if it was going to have some type of effect or help people,” said Gallant.

“If they [the City Council] were really serious, they would start some type of computer bank for the information,” said Steve Helsley, California liaison for the National Rifle Assn.

Helsley described the law as “one of those ‘feel-good’ harassment” measures.

Even some gun rights advocates, however, praise the ordinance.

“I think it’s going to prevent crime all over town,” said Don Charon, who works at National Gun Sales in Northridge.

“Now criminals are going to have to go somewhere else if they want to buy bullets,” he said, because they will not want to have a record of their purchase anywhere.

Charon said his store sells about 600 boxes of ammunition a day and does not expect sales to be harmed by the new requirement.

Helsley suggested the law needs better organization to be of any use.

Dealers “are collecting this data, but what are they going to do with it?” he asked. “Since the police don’t usually come to see them, it’s all probably going to end up in the city dump.”