imported post
NightOwl wrote:
I was hoping that "Magazines may be integral to the firearm (fixed) or removable (detachable)." meant that I had legal grounds for it to be larger capacity, since being a typical slide-in etc it would be considered detatchable. Fixed, to me, means like for a shotgun, where it's sort of internal and not-removable.
Very disappointing. I like the 9mm for it's higher capacity, dammit. Thanks for the reply. *crossing my fingers hoping someone comes up to refute it though*
You're correct about fixed vs. detachable. The statute your seem to be referring to is a prohibition on "assault weapons" - a term covering a broad range of specific models, and then lots of feature-combinations (e.g. semi-auto pistol with forward grip, rifle with flash supressor, etc, etc, etc. (see CA AW ID Flowchart at
CalGuns.net
However, there is yet another statute that prohibits the manufacturing, importation, selling, or lending of any "large-capacity magazines" (any mag - detachable or fixed - over 10 rounds).
I suggest simply disassebling your mags into "rebuild kits", which basically means you're importing parts, not mags. Reassembling these parts into magazines within the state's borders would be considered "manufacturing", so don't do that. Just buy the CA-legal mags, and hope the NRA, CalGuns Foundation, or Madison Society get litigation moving to remove this ridiculous prohibition on NORMAL-capacity magazines.
(Note that the statute does not prohibit buying or posessing high-cap mags, so if one were to be found in possession, it would be up to the DA to prove they were imported, manufactured, sold, or lent illegally.)
(See CA PC 12020 for citation, exemptions.)
