\n<\/p>\n
Right off the bat, California is a horrible place to own a business, and I\u2019m talking about any business, not just a gun store. If you don\u2019t believe me, you may be surprised by the number of companies and some of the names on the list fleeing the failing state since 2020. Sure, you know Elon Musk took off faster than Gavin Newsom violating his own COVID-19 lockdown, but did you know about Chevron, Neutrogena, Blaze Pizza, McAfee, Hyperion, Edelbrock Group, Charles Schwab, Oracle, Pabst Brewing and many more<\/a>? In light of this, it should not come as any surprise that gun stores are being run out of business as well.<\/p>\n The land of high taxes, higher regulations and politicians that are so high they don\u2019t know what day it is has claimed the lives of two small firearms shops in the Fresno area last month alone, with South Gate Firearm Supply closing its doors after five years and PRK Arms calling it as well after sixteen. Owners of both stores attribute the downfall to crippling California gun laws and high taxes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts\u2026 I wish we could stay open\u2026. Just isn\u2019t sustainable,\u201d said Ryan Farrell, owner of South Gate Firearm Supply.<\/p>\n In addition to rent increases, out-of-control energy costs, workers\u2019 compensation, insurance and inflation factors plaguing all businesses, especially those in California, Farrell says the closures are \u201c95% because of these regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n What are some of these regulations? If we were to go through every way in which California infringes upon the civil liberties of law-abiding citizens, I doubt our servers could handle the bandwidth. Let\u2019s take a look at some of the latest forms of weaponized legislation used to oppress California gun owners and drive small businesses into the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n 11% TAX ON GUNS AND AMMUNITION<\/strong><\/p>\n Assembly Bill 28, known as the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, went into effect on July 1. The bill places an 11% tax on all firearms and ammunition purchases. Proponents say the tax seeks to fund violence prevention efforts in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n What you smell there aren\u2019t the fecal-lined streets of San Francisco, but the excrement of a bullish variety. With a marked increase in homelessness, mental illness, and sanctuary policies paving the road for violent gangs, drug dealers, and traffickers to pour over the border, I don\u2019t think California can make any genuine claim of such noble intent. It\u2019s no wonder the state has seen so many citizens escaping the extremist left-wing governance that they actually ran out of Uhaul trucks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the owner of PRK Arms has declined on-the-record interviews, he did express similar views as Farrell, calling the struggles of owning a gun store \u201ca perfect storm.\u201d Farrell cited a 50% decrease in sales in the month of July, signaling he could no longer sustain business beyond his lease. Both owners agree that the 11% tax was the \u201cnail in the coffin.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t the only nail.<\/p>\n ONE GUN PER MONTH LAW<\/strong><\/p>\n Beginning in 2024, a new California law went into effect that limited residents to one firearm purchase of any kind within 30 days. By mid-August a three-justice panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the law, however, the 7 1\/2-month stretch of damage had already been done. Once again California claims honorable design, meaning to address gun trafficking and straw purchases, however, the emerging pattern paints a picture of a much more deliberate agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in our culture\u2026 They buy guns for investments and buy guns for collections. If you\u2019re a sporting clays shooter, you don\u2019t have one gun for sporting clays. You probably have 20, 30 different guns\u2026 It affected us. There definitely had been people who wanted to buy more than one gun and I turned them away because they bought a gun like 20 days ago,\u201d Farrell says.\u00a0<\/p>\n The one gun purchase every 30 days restriction remains ongoing with a federal appeals court now considering its constitutionality. If you\u2019re not convinced yet, let\u2019s look at one more regulation being forced on gun stores that may help complete the painting. \u00a0<\/p>\n SURVEILLANCE<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n Senate Bill 1384, signed in September 2022 but effective as of 2024, requires firearms dealers to maintain digital video and audio surveillance systems that record all entries and exits, all areas where firearms are displayed, and all points of sale on their premises. This sounds reasonable until you take a look at the fine print.<\/p>\n The surveillance is required to record for 24 hours per day with video time stamps and must be stored for at least one year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe storage requirements are massive\u2026 It wasn\u2019t the camera cost; it was the data recorder\/data storage cost that really kicked in\u2026 The DOJ could\u2019ve done something simple like motion-activated only\u2026 Start recording when something\u2019s moving in the area. That\u2019d cut (expenses) at least by half. I mean we also have an alarm system. So if someone breaks in, it\u2019s going to set off a motion-detection system. To record while no one is in here, I don\u2019t know what the purpose is for that,\u201d says Ryan Farrell.<\/p>\n Ryan is being nice here. We all know the purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n With California driving smaller gun store owners out of business, concerns within the local community that additional mom-and-pop gun stores may follow suit are growing, leaving only big box retail stores like Wal-Mart and Sportsman\u2019s Warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHell of a loss for our community\u2026 They already don\u2019t have many gun shops nearby. When you lose these small gun shops \u2014 a place where the people look you in the eye, know what they\u2019re talking about, actually caters to the people \u2014 that\u2019s not good\u2026 These mom and pop gun shops like South Gate Firearm, we\u2019re going to miss them,\u201d says Delbert Greer, a longtime gun enthusiast and resident of Prather.<\/p>\n As a former resident of California, I got out. While I encourage others to do the same, it is difficult for many families whose lives are deeply rooted within the state. Between the rising crime rates, an untenable cost of living and businesses leaving and taking jobs with them, the question isn\u2019t where the state will end up, but how long it will take to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![<\/a>Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nRight off the bat, California is a horrible place to own a business, and I\u2019m talking about any business, not just a gun store. If you don\u2019t believe me, you may be surprised by the number of companies and some of the names on the list fleeing the failing state since 2020. Sure, you know Elon Musk took off faster than Gavin Newsom violating his own COVID-19 lockdown, but did you know about Chevron, Neutrogena, Blaze Pizza, McAfee, Hyperion, Edelbrock Group, Charles Schwab, Oracle, Pabst Brewing and many more<\/a>? In light of this, it should not come as any surprise that gun stores are being run out of business as well.<\/p>\nThe land of high taxes, higher regulations and politicians that are so high they don\u2019t know what day it is has claimed the lives of two small firearms shops in the Fresno area last month alone, with South Gate Firearm Supply closing its doors after five years and PRK Arms calling it as well after sixteen. Owners of both stores attribute the downfall to crippling California gun laws and high taxes.<\/p>\n\u201cIt hurts\u2026 I wish we could stay open\u2026. Just isn\u2019t sustainable,\u201d said Ryan Farrell, owner of South Gate Firearm Supply.<\/p>\nIn addition to rent increases, out-of-control energy costs, workers\u2019 compensation, insurance and inflation factors plaguing all businesses, especially those in California, Farrell says the closures are \u201c95% because of these regulations.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat are some of these regulations? If we were to go through every way in which California infringes upon the civil liberties of law-abiding citizens, I doubt our servers could handle the bandwidth. Let\u2019s take a look at some of the latest forms of weaponized legislation used to oppress California gun owners and drive small businesses into the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n11% TAX ON GUNS AND AMMUNITION<\/strong><\/p>\nAssembly Bill 28, known as the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, went into effect on July 1. The bill places an 11% tax on all firearms and ammunition purchases. Proponents say the tax seeks to fund violence prevention efforts in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhat you smell there aren\u2019t the fecal-lined streets of San Francisco, but the excrement of a bullish variety. With a marked increase in homelessness, mental illness, and sanctuary policies paving the road for violent gangs, drug dealers, and traffickers to pour over the border, I don\u2019t think California can make any genuine claim of such noble intent. It\u2019s no wonder the state has seen so many citizens escaping the extremist left-wing governance that they actually ran out of Uhaul trucks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhile the owner of PRK Arms has declined on-the-record interviews, he did express similar views as Farrell, calling the struggles of owning a gun store \u201ca perfect storm.\u201d Farrell cited a 50% decrease in sales in the month of July, signaling he could no longer sustain business beyond his lease. Both owners agree that the 11% tax was the \u201cnail in the coffin.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t the only nail.<\/p>\nONE GUN PER MONTH LAW<\/strong><\/p>\nBeginning in 2024, a new California law went into effect that limited residents to one firearm purchase of any kind within 30 days. By mid-August a three-justice panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the law, however, the 7 1\/2-month stretch of damage had already been done. Once again California claims honorable design, meaning to address gun trafficking and straw purchases, however, the emerging pattern paints a picture of a much more deliberate agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s in our culture\u2026 They buy guns for investments and buy guns for collections. If you\u2019re a sporting clays shooter, you don\u2019t have one gun for sporting clays. You probably have 20, 30 different guns\u2026 It affected us. There definitely had been people who wanted to buy more than one gun and I turned them away because they bought a gun like 20 days ago,\u201d Farrell says.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe one gun purchase every 30 days restriction remains ongoing with a federal appeals court now considering its constitutionality. If you\u2019re not convinced yet, let\u2019s look at one more regulation being forced on gun stores that may help complete the painting. \u00a0<\/p>\nSURVEILLANCE<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\nSenate Bill 1384, signed in September 2022 but effective as of 2024, requires firearms dealers to maintain digital video and audio surveillance systems that record all entries and exits, all areas where firearms are displayed, and all points of sale on their premises. This sounds reasonable until you take a look at the fine print.<\/p>\nThe surveillance is required to record for 24 hours per day with video time stamps and must be stored for at least one year.<\/p>\n\u201cThe storage requirements are massive\u2026 It wasn\u2019t the camera cost; it was the data recorder\/data storage cost that really kicked in\u2026 The DOJ could\u2019ve done something simple like motion-activated only\u2026 Start recording when something\u2019s moving in the area. That\u2019d cut (expenses) at least by half. I mean we also have an alarm system. So if someone breaks in, it\u2019s going to set off a motion-detection system. To record while no one is in here, I don\u2019t know what the purpose is for that,\u201d says Ryan Farrell.<\/p>\nRyan is being nice here. We all know the purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\nWith California driving smaller gun store owners out of business, concerns within the local community that additional mom-and-pop gun stores may follow suit are growing, leaving only big box retail stores like Wal-Mart and Sportsman\u2019s Warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cHell of a loss for our community\u2026 They already don\u2019t have many gun shops nearby. When you lose these small gun shops \u2014 a place where the people look you in the eye, know what they\u2019re talking about, actually caters to the people \u2014 that\u2019s not good\u2026 These mom and pop gun shops like South Gate Firearm, we\u2019re going to miss them,\u201d says Delbert Greer, a longtime gun enthusiast and resident of Prather.<\/p>\nAs a former resident of California, I got out. While I encourage others to do the same, it is difficult for many families whose lives are deeply rooted within the state. Between the rising crime rates, an untenable cost of living and businesses leaving and taking jobs with them, the question isn\u2019t where the state will end up, but how long it will take to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shutterstock Right off the bat, California is a horrible place to own a business, and I\u2019m talking about any business, not just a gun store. If you don\u2019t believe me, you may be surprised by the number of companies and some of the names on the list fleeing the failing state since 2020. Sure, you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/shutterstock_2010491174-scaled.jpg\"){kind=link}