Standard Capacity magazines are clearly "in common use."

[appal_jack]

Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2019, 12:47 AM - Edit history (1)

Article: "Gun groups: Million-plus extended magazines flood California"

Source: (AP newswire) https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Gun-groups-Million-plus-extended-magazines-flood-13761047.php

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than a million high-capacity ammunition magazines flooded into California during a one-week window created when a federal judge temporarily threw out the state's ban, gun owners' groups estimated Thursday.

(snip)

The magazines aren't tracked. But there are plenty of anecdotal indications that the floodgates briefly opened when U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez overturned the state's nearly 20-year-old ban late last month.

The judge halted sales a week later, but ruled that those who bought the magazines can legally own them while the state appeals his ruling.

(snip)

"Everything was all sold out. I basically took whatever I could get," said Chris Puehse, who owns Foothill Ammo in Shingle Springs, east of Sacramento.

He fielded dozens of telephone calls while buyers stacked up 20 deep in his one-man store to buy the hundreds of magazines that arrived in two shipments last week. He had just six left by the time Benitez reinstated the ban last Friday.

"People loved it. It was like we were out of prison and were not treated like bastard stepchildren of the country anymore," he said.

Thirty-round magazines for military-style rifles, handgun magazines holding 17 to 20 bullets, all selling for less than $30 each — "they disappeared," Puehse said. "They wanted to grab more than I let them, otherwise they would have been gone even faster than a few hours."

State Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned hours before Benitez again halted sales that California was in danger of becoming "the wild, wild West for high-capacity magazines."

(snip)

Staff attorneys with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in San Francisco said they've seen no evidence to back up the million-magazine estimate, and said gun rights organizations have a vested interest in inflating the number of law-abiding owners.

"They have a very specific purpose and intent here to try to set up for the court that these are devices that are very commonly used and possessed" and therefore should not be banned again, said California legislative affairs director Ari Freilich.

app's take on this issue:
The Giffords Center attorneys of course have the exact opposite vested interest in deflating the number of law-abiding owners who purchase and peaceably or otherwise lawfully use standard capacity magazines in modern firearms. However, the facts of the matter are with firearms enthusiasts here. Nationwide, the majority of magazines sold for pistols and rifles do hold more than 10-rounds. Of the firearms with detachable magazines I own (i.e.- excluding revolvers and rifles with fixed mags), the only one designed to primarily be operated with 10-round magazines is a sub-compact carry pistol, and even that model can use larger capacity mags that project past the grip. Fifteen to thirty round magazines are certainly in "common use" and thus clearly fall within Second Amendment protections as defined by the Heller Supreme Court decision.

And the demand for such magazines is clear. I think that 1 million mags shipped to CA during that week was a reasonable to low estimate, based upon what I have heard from some vendors in the business even before this article was published. There can be no doubt that a plurality of gun owners in California and across the US desire to continue to exercise these RKBA freedoms. If shooting sports is not your thing, then fine. But I am tired of Democrats pretending that so-called "Assault Weapons" Bans and bans on certain magazines or ergonomic features are at all a popular ideas. Democrats pursue these ridiculous and unconstitutional bans at their electoral peril. I'm saying this not to oppose Democrats, but because many other issues I care about (reproductive freedom, environmental protection, progress on healthcare, etc.) are so jeopardized by Democratic candidates running against a reasonable interpretation of Second Amendment rights.

-app

[yagotme]

1. A million, probably more,

in a WEEK. In one state. Now, how often are they criminally used? After a million last week, surely death and destruction has rained down upon the citizens of California. More than usual, that is. No? Perhaps our efforts are misdirected, then...

[appal_jack]

2. Perhaps. :-) nt