Ask Us: Can People Legally Sell Firearms From Their Home?
ROCKLIN (CBS13) — A Rocklin resident became alarmed after learning that a firearms business was being operated out of a neighborhood home.
He contacted CBS13.com/askus and wrote:
"Can anyone sell guns including assault rifles from their home in Rocklin? I am concerned about who she is selling guns to and if she is following the law. I have contacted the City and the police department, but have not heard anything. I was wondering if it would be worth your time to look into this."
Rocklin Police say running a firearms business from home is legal. The business, AA Tactical, has a website advertising gun sales and transfer services.
"I don't think it's OK, I don't like it, I'm very uncomfortable with that," said a concerned viewer who chose to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from the owner of AA Tactical, a home-based firearms business in Rocklin.
"Alex" said he's shocked such a business could exist. He said he has major concerns about how safe and legal it is, to run a firearms business from home.
"It can't be legal, I thought in this day and age, with all the mass shootings it should be more difficult to get firearms," Alex said.
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The address listed on the AA Tactical website comes back to a home in Rocklin. The site advertises gun sales, accessories, as well as military and police gear. It also claims to offer firearms transfers and firearms safety certificates. Rocklin Police said they found out about the business sometime in August, but an investigation revealed the owner was fully compliant with the law.
So, what does it take to sell firearms from your home?
Rocklin Police Sgt. Andre Booker said you have to have a federal license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in addition to a local business license from the current city where you reside. A search of the website shows it was registered last November.
The owner, Anika Brooks, was registered by the ATF to sell firearms in March of 2017.
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Rocklin Police would not say if Brooks stores the firearms inside her home, but clarified that California law calls for guns and ammo to be stored separately in a gun box, or a safe.
"Our information is that no customers are coming to and from her home," Sgt. Booker said.
Brooks told CBS13 she stores all her inventory inside her home, locked away in a safe. According to the website, Brooks is a firearms enthusiast who started the business "to support gun owners amidst the California gun control efforts of lawmakers."
No matter what side of the gun debate, Rocklin police say this owner, so far, is on the right side of the law.