Pardon bumping this old thread but isn't this the law that goes into effect in July 2019?
I believe the original post / thread was about a proposed Federal law from Wasserman-Shultz.
With respect to the CA law that you're referring to, parts went into effect in 2018 (no direct ship from out of state, among other things). July 1 2019 the background checks become required.
I was informed I could not have ammo shipped at residence and any ammo purchased from a store also required a background check. However in the last few months the managers still did not know the cost per application.
If you appear in CA's AFS (automated firearm system? can't remember) the cost of the check is $1. If you don't, $19. Anyone who has purchased a gun in CA that required a DROS will be in AFS - so for anyone who has purchased a handgun in the past many years or a long gun since some years back, the cost for the background check is $1.
My question is if they can call in a NCIS background check for ammo and it can be completed while a buyer waits in store, why can't they do the same to buy a firearm? Sorry not trying to derail the topic too much.
I don't believe they are running a NICS check in CA for ammo - just a check against CA DOJ's databases.
On a related note I see online deals for ammo but most state cannot ship to CA even an FFL. Why is that?
As noted by others, many vendors just don't want the hassle.
It may be worth your while to get an FFL03 + CoE. The FFL03 is the Curios & Relics collectors license (not a license to deal in firearms) and costs something like $30 for three years. The Certificate of Exemption (CoE) is a CA DOJ certificate and is a bit more spendy -- something like $71 in fees, plus the cost of a livescan fingerprint service (~$25 at various places like UPS Store, etc.). After the initial application, it is $22 to renew annually with no further fingerprinting costs.
I bring all this up because CA law continues to permit direct delivery of ammo purchased from out of state to holders of a valid FFL03 + CoE. And there are many non-CA ammo vendors who will happily ship to CA residents who hold FFL03 + CoE.
As a final note, I believe Judge Benitez is assigned to the case brought by CPRA / NRA against the CA ammo law. Judge Benitez is the USDC judge who recently wrote a very strong decision on the CA magazine ban that is being appealed to the 9th circuit. The issues are different than the magazine issues, but I suppose we could do a lot worse than arguing before Benitez regarding the entire ammunition sales process imposed in California.