Whats with the restricted shipping on Sportsman's Guide?

Factual Questions
1

Anyone notice that the restrictions on shipping in Sportsman’s Guide are overly restrictive? I can see legal requirements about hi-capactity magazines, batons, etc. But they won’t ship (to CA) parts to guns that may or may not be assault weapons in CA. There are no legal restrictions on parts. In the catalog I got in the mail today, they have a fake AK-47, with no real parts, that they won’t ship to CA.

They won’t even ship parts for the SKS, which with the exception of a few models, is NOT banned in CA.

Are they just being overly cautious, is it ignorance? What’s going on?

2

CynicalGabe
So, you order from Gary Olen too huh? I’ve noticed that they are extremely restrictive and I have a feeling they are just being cautious because America is so damned lawsuit happy. I’d like to order some ammo from them but living here in Massachusetts, that is totally out of the realm of reality.
One time I wanted to order a knife sharpener from them. I was later informed that they could not ship it to me because it came pacakaged with a complimentary paring knife. Yep, I can’t order any knives from them.
Still, it’s a great company. I’ve ordered some great stuff from them (clothing, furniture, clocks, tools, etc). I receive some great compliments particularly about the clothing. I jokingly reply, I’m wearing the “Gary Olen” Collection. :smiley:
Good company despite their rather extremely stringent “erring on the side of caution” policy.

3

It would be illegal for them to ship some items to California. Realistic-looking modern gun replicas have been banned since shortly after NBC-4’s David Horowitz was made to read a statement on the air at gunpoint, and it turned out to be a BB gun that looked like a 1911. You can buy BB guns (which may be why Airsoft guns are allowed – I don’t know), but other things are hard to get. For example, I had a nice model of a Luger back in the early-'80s. (Not a toy, but an actual model kit.) Can’t get those anymore.

Also, it is a felony in CA to carry a dagger. I’m not sure if it’s legal to buy them in, or ship them to California; but it may be. It’s also a felony to have a blowgun (something else I had in the late-'70s.early-'80s), so they won’t ship them to CA. Tracer ammunition is illegal, and steel-cored ammunition might be as well.

So basically they’re just following the restrictions imposed by the various states.

4

Johnny L.A.
I’d still say the Sportsmen’s Guide is erring on the side of caution. Yes, maybe they do follow the letter of the law (which is a good thing) but as we know there are some companies that will ship items to certain states. Maybe these companies are greedy, lazy, apathetic or outright careless but some companies will ship items such as knives, laser pointers, phony grenades, etc to states in which are restricted.

Personally, I think the Sportsmen’s Guide is trying to avoid a lawsuit which could possibly destroy their business - and I don’t blame them.

5

[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.]
It would be illegal for them to ship some items to California. Realistic-looking modern gun replicas have been banned since shortly after NBC-4’s David Horowitz was made to read a statement on the air at gunpoint, and it turned out to be a BB gun that looked like a 1911. You can buy BB guns (which may be why Airsoft guns are allowed – I don’t know), but other things are hard to get. For example, I had a nice model of a Luger back in the early-'80s. (Not a toy, but an actual model kit.) Can’t get those anymore.

Also, it is a felony in CA to carry a dagger. I’m not sure if it’s legal to buy them in, or ship them to California; but it may be. It’s also a felony to have a blowgun (something else I had in the late-'70s.early-'80s), so they won’t ship them to CA. Tracer ammunition is illegal, and steel-cored ammunition might be as well.

So basically they’re just following the restrictions imposed by the various states.
[/QUOTE]

AFAIK, and IANAL, but it is not illegal to sell realistic gun replicas (excpet some which shoot bb’s to minors, of course), all they have to have is alittle orange plug in the barrel. It’s certainly not illegal to sell or own daggers. It can be illegal to carry them concealed.

http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/2003bills.htm
Removes civil penalties that apply to commercially selling, making, distributing, etc., an imitation firearm that shoots any 6 mm or smaller caliber BB or pellet. Prior to this change, only BB devices that shoot metallic BBs/pellets were exempt from civil penalties. The effect of this change is that it allows air-soft imitation firearms and similar devices to be sold, kept for sale, transported, etc. As with any BB device, no such air-soft gun may be sold to a person who is under 18 years of age nor furnished to a person under 18 years of age without the express or implied consent of that minor’s parent or legal guardian (PC §§ 417.2, 12001, 12551, 12552).
One DA in Yolo County went crzy and sued every mail order company for shipping “dangerous weapons” into his county. I don’t think he won, but the legal cost was too much. Thus, even though it is pefectly legal to sell and own daggers in CA, some mail order companies won’t ship them in.

6

I don’t know, it also gives people political fuel. A lot of companies do this when dealign with weapons of any kind. If you just assume they won’t ship because it’s illegal in California, it begins to look like California is much worse than it actually is at eroding our freedoms.

7

[QUOTE=DrDeth]

One DA in Yolo County went crzy and sued every mail order company for shipping “dangerous weapons” into his county. I don’t think he won, but the legal cost was too much. Thus, even though it is pefectly legal to sell and own daggers in CA, some mail order companies won’t ship them in.
[/QUOTE]

I guess that would explain the weird restriction ive seen in a whole bunch of catalogs saying that knives, ammo, magazines (no matter the capacity) won’t be shipped to Yolo Co. I used to live in Davis, so that was a major PIA.

8

[QUOTE=DrDeth]
http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/2003bills.htm
Removes civil penalties that apply to commercially selling, making, distributing, etc., an imitation firearm that shoots any 6 mm or smaller caliber BB or pellet. Prior to this change, only BB devices that shoot metallic BBs/pellets were exempt from civil penalties. The effect of this change is that it allows air-soft imitation firearms and similar devices to be sold, kept for sale, transported, etc. As with any BB device, no such air-soft gun may be sold to a person who is under 18 years of age nor furnished to a person under 18 years of age without the express or implied consent of that minor’s parent or legal guardian (PC §§ 417.2, 12001, 12551, 12552).
[/QUOTE]

I got my information from (something like) the California Dangerous Weapons Laws. But I got my copy in the '80s or early-'90s, so no doubt some of it has been changed.

A question though: The quoted paragraph deals with ‘BB guns’. Have the laws been changed for non-firing replicas?