Selling & Shipping to California Customers

[TexasMac]

Many of you know that I have written and published a book on the Browning Black Powder Cartridge Rifles and, as a FFL dealer; I buy and sell new and used Browning and Winchester BPCRs.  99.9% of my book and firearm sales are over the Internet and I sell firearms to California customers without charging an additional fee.  As a part of the firearms community and especially as a firearms dealer, one of the things I find irritating and frustrating is the refusal by many individuals and especially firearm dealers to do business with potential California customers or charge an extra fee for doing so.
 
Online or Internet-based firearms sales is a growing and key part of the firearms industry, and sellers should feel an obligation to sell legal firearms to anyone in any state in the USA without discrimination.  In refusing to ship firearms to California or charging extra fees, we’re doing a disservice not only to Californians, but to the firearms industry as a whole.  Every time you refuse to sell or ship a firearm to a California dealer for transfer to a local customer, you’re helping to erode their and our 2^nd Amendment rights.  Think about it, many of you, hopefully the majority of you, give funds to the NRA and other organizations to help defend our 2^nd Amendment rights, then you turn around and do exactly what the liberal California politicians want you to do.

The argument that it takes an additional and substantial amount of time and effort to sell to California customers is BS.  As a non-licensed individual, there are no special requirements.  Of course you must ship the firearm to a FFL holder in California, but the same requirement applies to any interstate firearm shipment.  FFL dealers are required to enroll in the California Firearms Licensee Check (CFLC) Program, which is easy and fast.  Subsequently, it takes less than a minute online to obtain a Firearms Shipment Approval number from the California Dept. of Justice (CADOJ) Bureau of Firearms prior to shipping a firearm to a California FFL. 
 
I posted similar comments on this subject some time ago, but wanted to pass along an email I recently received from a California customer.  His email reads,”Thank you for the editorial type of entry you made about dealers refusing to sell guns to Californians.  I can't tell you how frustrating it is that you can't even bid on something because of the misfortune of living in this state, and those dealers are doing exactly what the politicians wanted them to do, prevent people from buying legal guns.  Even though I have a C & R license, dealers have refused to sell me their guns and instead I have seen those guns going round and around for months on the different web sites.”
 
So guys, regardless of what you think about the liberal California government, give Californians a break and do your part to support the firearms community by welcoming the opportunity to sell to our friends in California and any other state in the USA.  For more details on selling and shipping to California, go to the following website: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/cflcfaqs.php#2.
 
Wayne

[subdjoe]

THANK YOU!!!


I saw the thread title and thought "Oh, great!  Another ignorant, anti-California rant by an uninformed dealer." 

What a pleasant surprise when I read a well written, well reasoned plea for dealers to take five minutes and educate themselves on the reality rather than the myth. 

It has always been a puzzlement to me how some will loudly proclaim that they support the RKBA, and then in the same breath say that they won't ship to CA to teach us a lesson.  Say what?  I can understand someone like Barrett not selling to the State as a protest, but geez louise! give the rest of us a break. 

Or the people who advocate that we just cut and run, move out of CA.  Well guess what?  Some of us can't.  And CA is one of the testing grounds for the anti-civil rights lobby. What gets made law in CA will eventually be attempted at the federal level.  Or may come to a state near you.  Some of us need to stay in the trenches and do what we can.

Rather than the constant stream of bad jokes and bile aimed at CA, people might think about actually giving us some moral support.  Bad enough we have to put up with the lies and vitriol from the anti-gun crowed, we shouldn't  have to take friendly fire from people who claim to support the 2nd.

[BBF]

I have full sympathy with folks in CA in that regard. I can't even order a rifle scope or binoculars from the USA because they are a Fed. controlled item requiring an costly Import license.

[P.A. Myers]

I am a God fearing conservative that lives in California. My first vote ever was for Ronald Regan, running for governor.

I also have cash I earned that I like to use to buy guns.  If a 49 state dealer does not want any of it, it is their choice.   Some do.

[BBF]

I am a God fearing conservative that lives in California. My first vote ever was for Ronald Regan, running for governor..............................

I doubt that will influence any of them that just don't want to deal with CA.

[P.A. Myers]

I must admit the Califonia boycott has had no significant effect on me. Goofy CA laws about restricting importing older guns has. The curious thing is I havent seen Dealers that will not deal with MA, NJ, NY or IL. When the Obamocrats suspend the constitution it wont matter anymore.