California IDPA Question on Magazines

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TEX

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I am entertaining the idea of visting a brother (who is LEO) in California and shooting an IDPA match while I am there. Trying to introduce him to the addiction : ) if you kow what I mean!

I am in Texas where high capacity magazines are cheap, legal and plentifull. Ownership (possession?) of hi-caps in California not owned before a certian date are illegal - or so I am lead to believe. My LEO brother does not know, nor care, because it has nothing to do with his nich area of policing. He says if anybody asks, just say they are his, which would not fly because he doesn't have a Glock - besides it woudl be a lie.

Where do I stand on taking hi-caps in for a competition. Do I have to hunt down sorry 10-rounders that don't actually want to hold 10 rounds, or am I legal since I am traveling to an event. I plan to attend a major match, not just some club's weekend match - if that makes any difference. And please, respectful comments only - my own club members have already told me I just need to to stay to hell out of Califiornia.

Thanks - TEX
 
From the same link you provided

Can I bring large-capacity magazines into the state with me if I did not possess them here prior to January 1, 2000?
No.
Click to expand...

Bringing them into the state is illegal. If you're a non-resident there to shoot a weekend match it seems like you'd be very clearly violating their law.

I don't claim to be even remotely an expert in these things.
 
IDPA rules limit magazine capacity to 10, plus 1 in the chamber, anyway. I have a couple of 10-round mags I use just for competition, and save the good, 15-round mags for carry.
I agree with your club members, though. California firearms laws are insane, as well as inane, and what is legal today may be made illegal tomorrow, with no notice, just on a whim of some legislator.
 
That's all well and good, but if you live in a free state, chances are you don't own any 10 round mags.
 
If your mags are not dated or LE marked there is no way they could prove that you didn't own them prior to the high cap ban. However it's california were talking about. One option would be to pickup some used 10 rounders and then resale them when you are done with them. It would be a pain but atleast you would know you are (probaly) legal in cali.
 
If your mags are not dated or LE marked there is no way they could prove that you didn't own them prior to the high cap ban.
Click to expand...

All they need is his drivers licence, which shows he doesn't live in California. Therefore it stands to reason he didn't own any mags in California in 2000, and that he probably brought the ones he has when he came into the state....

What I would do is contact someone in Cali who is attending the match and see if you can borrow some mags. Or just bite the bullet and buy 10 rounders.
 
As a Californian, I can't help but think they'd get you on any gun related charge they (TPTB) can trump up and I'd advise not taking any chances. Get some ten round mags. I doubt any cop, DA or judge would listen to any "exempt" excuse. Call me paranoid, but that's the way it is here.
 
That's all well and good, but if you live in a free state, chances are you don't own any 10 round mags.
Click to expand...

Meh - there are no mag restrictions in my state and I still have some 10 round mags floating around here and there. I prefer full capacity, but sometimes you get limited ones (the 10-round compliant gun was the only one in stock, found a good deal on the 10-rounders, or you have some other reason like this to buy them).

Realistically, yes, it sucks, but mags aren't THAT expensive of an item and IDPA doesn't need that many of them. Being a non-resident, I'd find it less stressful to just buy the mags for instances like this rather than try to change a law that affects you so rarely.

It would be a lot more aggravating in USPSA for a Limited shooter who might have to (at least for optimal scoring) shoot Limited-10 for a match.
 
You absolutely cannot import high cap magazines into this state. Neither can you manufacture them or transfer them in this state. You can own them, use them and maintain them in this state, to include buying and importing PARTS to replace worn and broken parts of high cap magazines owned prior to the 1994 ban.
Screwy but there it is.
 
I checked with some local IDPA shooters and they said there shouldn't be a problem borrowing enough mags to shoot a match with.

Which match are you planning to shoot, maybe one of my contacts there can help you out
 
10-round magazines aren't rare or hard to find, they're still currently being produced just for locations like California, New York, Hawaii, and some other jurisdictions that think normal capacity magazines are "evil".
 
Interesting,

Well I wouldn't be importing them, and I wouldn't be transferring them - I would be using themand then leaving with them. I have some time so maybe I should write the Attorney General's office in California and ask. If I had something from that office that said it was acceptable to bring them in for an event and then leave with them, it should carry some weight. Then again, I only need three mags, but the issue I had with some in the past was that it took dang near 50-lbs of pressure to get that 10th round end, but that was a 40S&W G-23, maybe the 9mms are as tough. I may be attending the Golden State Championship, if everything falls together right. Thanks for all of the advice.

TEX
 
No big, I thought you were talking about something coming up this year...the Golden State Match isn't until next year. I'm sure we cold get you the loan of some mags for the match

BTW: Import is meant in the literal sense...meaning to bring or cause them to be brought across the state line...so you would be importing them if you brought them with you. There is no exception in the law for using them in a match/competition/tournament
 
See post #12. I am a lawyer for the CA Attorney General's office. You cannot import them. Period.
 
The enemy is here among us!!!
icon12.gif
 
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