Why CA gun owners are rushing to buy ammunition

California gun owners are eager to get their hands on ammunition after a federal appeals court struck down a state law requiring background checks for ammunition purchases, reports CalMatters’ Joe Garcia.

Last week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a blow to gun control advocates and California’s own policy framework when it ruled that the state’s first-in-the-nation law “meaningfully constrains California residents’ right to keep and bear arms.”

Voters approved the law in 2016, which required buyers to undergo background checks, and effectively banned online sales of ammunition by requiring in-person transactions with a licensed dealer. Out-of-state ammunition purchases must also be delivered from that state to a licensed seller in California.

• J.R. Young, a San Jose gun owner: “Is this freedom week? … The way we live in society now — when we want to buy something, we don’t want to go and take a trip to the store.”

But changes aren’t happening just yet. Citing “a number of procedural steps that must take place,” the California Department of Justice notified gun and ammunition dealers days after the court ruling that background check requirements remain in effect until further notice.

This isn’t the first time the 2016 law has been held in a state of limbo: In 2020 a federal judge also struck down the legislation, only for the state to successfully appeal the decision afterward. Last week’s court decision follows a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded some gun rights and limited state and local governments’ abilities to regulate guns. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has not said whether the state would appeal the most recent ruling.

Meanwhile, the state Senate is currently considering a bill that would ban the sale of new Glock-brand handguns in California, after the measure advanced through the Assembly in June.

Read more here.

Five years after voters passed Proposition 22 — which granted California ride-hailing drivers some employee benefits while classifying them as independent contractors — drivers for Uber, Lyft and other companies are pushing legislation that would grant them the right to form and join a union.

As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, the bill would enable drivers the right to collectively bargain, and gig companies would be required to bargain in good faith. These companies would also be required to regularly submit lists of drivers and other driver information to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board.

Bill proponents say that the ability to unionize is essential for drivers to address issues related to wages, working conditions and the lack of company communication. 

But ride-hailing companies argue that unionizing would disrupt their business model, increase the cost of rides and affect the availability of rides. The bill’s reporting requirements, they say, also violate driver privacy. 

Read more here.

With about 4 in 10 Californians saddled with medical debt, the Legislature is considering a measure that would require hospitals to check whether patients can qualify for discounted payments before billing them, writes CalMatters’ Ana B. Ibarra.

If passed, hospitals beginning July 2027 must presume people enrolled in certain social welfare programs, such as food stamps, are eligible for financial aid. Hospitals would also be required to check whether patients are eligible if they are uninsured; enrolled in Medi-Cal but pay some share of medical costs; or enrolled in a Covered California health plan.

The California Hospital Association currently opposes the bill, arguing that hospitals already promote their financial assistance programs.

But surveys and research show that many patients aren’t well informed about these programs. Sierra Freeman, a Stockton resident who is prone to aneurysms, amassed medical bills totaling $4 million after undergoing multiple surgeries at Stanford Medical Center.

Though her employee health insurance covered the majority of the costs, Freeman researched for months on charity care to get most of the remaining sum waived. 

• Freeman: “I feel like I now have the knowledge and power to apply for this the next time it happens. But I wish more people knew about it.”

Read more here.

Students who entered college during the pandemic describe a difficult transition to adulthood, marked by fear and loss. CalMatters’ Deborah Brennan and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on how these challenges were magnified in the Inland Empire as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.