SACRAMENTO — Fearful that they could be accused of selling outlawed assault weapons, two major California gun dealers said Wednesday they have indefinitely suspended the sale of many popular hunting rifles.
Executives of Turner's Outdoorsman, a big retail sporting goods chain in Southern California, and Trader Sports Inc. of San Leandro, a Northern California firearms retailer, said hundreds of rifles had been removed from sales shelves on Jan. 1.
In interviews, they charged that recent administrative regulations by Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer to implement California's new assault weapons control law were so narrowly drawn that they would ban the sale and possession of many legal guns used for hunting deer, bear and wild pigs.
Rather than risk potential arrest or other legal liability, spokesmen for the two dealers said the businesses decided to indefinitely suspend the sale of such popular hunting guns as the Remington 7400 and the Ruger Mini-14.
"We definitely want to comply with the law. However, we are really unsure what we can do without putting ourselves or our customers in jeopardy," said Bill Ortiz, an executive of Turner's, which operates 13 stores in Southern California.
"If you follow their description, there aren't any guns that are legal," said Tony Cucchiara of Trader Sports. "We've pulled about 300 pieces that I thought were marginal pending a clearer view from the attorney general."
Nathan Barankan, a spokesman for Lockyer, defended the regulations, asserting that they accurately reflected the Legislature's intent in enacting the law.
"For those who opposed the first assault weapons ban back in 1989, their failed argument has always been that assault weapons are sporting weapons. Unless your sport is war, there is no justification for that point of view," Barankan said.
While the 1999 Legislature substantially toughened controls on assault weapons, it was left to Lockyer's Department of Justice to propose and adopt administrative regulations that implement the statute.
In essence, the regulations are intended to help police officers, gun dealers and citizens identify the differences between a banned assault gun and a legal firearm.
During debate last year on the new assault weapons restrictions, backers of the bill, SB 23 by Sen. Don Perata (D-Alameda), said they went to extraordinary lengths to avoid including hunting rifles in the prohibition.
