Let me put this in different words to see if I understand it. If you bought an imported weapon during the ban
No, it is separate legislation and is still in place. It was put in place in 1990, a few years before the Federal Assault Weapon Ban. It never sunset, and is still law.
with no sporting purpose" and therefore had to be configured with a 10 round magazine in order to be imported, the 10 round max magazine size still applies to that weapon no matter that there is no longer a general magazine size restriction restriction (unless you play the modify with american parts game)?
Yes this understanding is closer, but remember it has nothing to do with the AWB, and is separate legislation, but otherwise your understanding is correct.
If you bought an imported rifle or shotgun tomorrow, during the ban, or any time since 1990 it would need to be comply with 922(r). 922(r) would make it a crime to put a magazine holding over 10 rounds in the rifle, unless you add a suitable number of American parts to hit a 10 foreign parts or less number.
If you bought an American made AR-15 922(r) does not apply because it is not a foreign made import.
If you bought one of the foreign made AKs for example though it would need to comply with 922(r).
If you were to insert a magazine larger than 10 rounds into it in stock configuration without doing what firearm enthusiasts call a 'conversion' it would often be (depending on parts count) a felony.
922(r) is one of the more complicated gun laws that many people are unaware of.
So yes it should make your head hurt.
It essentially means the average person that does no research cannot simply install readily available and unrestricted aftermarket stocks, magazines, and similar items on foreign made guns.
Many people unknowingly commit this federal felony when they for example buy a pistol grip and install it. Or get one of the high quality foreign mags and use it in a stock foreign import.
It has been interpreted by the ATF to mean semi-auto firearms with detachable magazine have to have less than 10 foreign imported parts. This are not all parts but a specific list of certain parts.
Each rifle and shotgun has a different number of these foreign imported parts in them and before they can legally use a magazine holding over 10 rounds (for a rifle, and 5 for a shotgun.)
For example, a Saiga rifle, readily available at many gun stores, is a foreign import. It has 14 of the parts that count. A magazine can count as 3 parts (magazine body, follower, and floorplate) and so even an American made magazine over 10 rounds would be a felony to insert into a Saiga rifle without also changing one additional part.
Here is the parts that count towards 922(r) and that you can not have more than 10 foreign parts of:
(1) Receiver
(2) Barrels
(3) Barrel extensions
(4) Mounting blocks, trunnion
(5) Muzzle attachments
(6) Bolts
(7) Bolt carriers
(8) Operating rods
(9) Gas pistons
(10) Trigger housings
(11) Triggers
(12) Hammers
(13) Sears
(14) Disconnectors
(15) Buttstock
(16) Pistol grips
(17) Forearms, handguards
(18) Magazine bodies
(19) Followers
(20) Floorplates
Not all firearms have all of those parts, and so the number varies with each type of firearm, and as a result how many new American parts are required to be installed to remain 922(r) compliant.
As in my example of the Saiga rifle it has 14 of those parts, and so you need to replace at least 4 of those parts with American made parts.
Furthermore you cannot count parts that don't come on the firearm towards the compliant part list even if you install them. You need to replace the correct number of parts that came (so for example installing a pistol grip on one that did not come with a pistol grip does not reduce the number of foreign parts, and in fact if you install a foreign made pistol grip you now need to add 5 other American parts instead of 4 in the Saiga example.)
Simply slapping in an 11+ round magazine that could be purchased into that firearm as it comes stock would be a federal felony, even though there is no restrictions on the size of magazines sold.
In order to use even an American made magazine, you would need to replace 1 additional part on the gun with an American made part first. Then you would meet the maximum 10 foreign parts and have minimal compliance using an American made magazine.
Since the magazine can count as 3, many people take the easy route and plan on counting those 3, and then they only need to actually remove and replace 1 of the parts in the gun.
However if they were to then use a foreign made magazine holding more than 10 rounds, and it was a rifle as in my example that takes 4 American parts, you would be adding 3 Foreign parts each time you inserted that magazine. And thus be 3 parts shy of compliance and committing a felony assembly swapping magazines.
So if you had 10 magazines at the range, and 5 of them were foreign, you would be committing 5 felonies running through those magazine as you swapped them in and out.
So if you want the 'freedom' to use any magazine you please you would need to replace 4 parts in that Saiga rifle example that do not include the 3 parts from the magazine.
Some parts obviously cost more than others, so people typically try to comply with the least expensive parts.
The same can go for installing a pistol grip, or folding stock, and some similar accessories. If you install a pistol grip you remove it from its 'sporting' configuration, and without installing the correct number of American parts are committing a felony.
This means when you buy a brand new imported semi-auto rifle/shotgun with great working parts you then need to remove those perfectly fine parts, sometimes parts that are of better quality than aftermarket parts, and replace them with aftermarket US parts to have the 'freedom' to use the magazine you want and accessories you want, and put it into the configuration of your choice.
There is also people that will do this service for you, at additional cost.
now that the AW ban has expired can they now be imported and purchased with 20 - 30 round magazines or are they still restricted?
Restricted, unless they have been converted by playing the parts game. Some businesses convert the rifle/shotgun before selling it, so replace the proper number of parts themselves. They then sell these rifles for an increased price above the cost of the parts the had to replace them with to make a profit.
If it is in the stock configuration it has typically not had internal parts 'converted' to allow legal use of any magazines.
You can buy the magazines, and you can buy the guns, in the same store at the same time no questions asked, but if you put the two together without playing the parts game you are committing a federal felony.
