Dear editor,

AB 352, a bill proposed in the California Legislature this year and defeated toward the end of the legislative session, would have required future serialization of all ammunition and shotgun shells. It was a back door attempt at disarming Californians.

That's right, Sacramento wants to deny all Californians their Second Amendment rights under the Constitution. This bill would cost Californians millions of tax dollars and deny lawful gun owners access to ammunition in California. Billions of rounds of ammunition are produced each year in the United States for military, law enforcement and sportsmen to use. Micro-stamping serial numbers on bullets would be cost-prohibitive for the munitions manufacturers and thus they would stop selling ammunition in California. As a Bay Area resident, I too have noticed what appears to be an increase in the murder rates in some Bay area cities. AB 352 would have taken away your right as a law-abiding citizen to defend yourself and your home. Let's face real facts; the police no longer protect us. More often, they respond after the fact, while a potential crime takes only seconds or minutes to happen.

A recent independent study revealed this unproven patented technology does not function as advertised by the patent holder. The bill was also amended to provide a "back door" to bullet serialization. Ammo makers say it is impossible to put serial numbers on all ammunition without going bankrupt, and say it would force them to stop sales of ammunition in California. As a result, AB 352 would have been a de facto ban on ammunition. Please visit www.nssf.org for additional information on AB 352. Go to the nssf.org Web site and view the study showing the faulty technology and what a waste of money this would be for California. When you talk about your rights being violated and taken away, this is the prime example. Unarmed Californians would have been sitting ducks for criminals.

Mark Gasser

Napa