You can't shoot USPSA Open in NY anymore
This is not in the least bit true. The only change, one which the open shooters complain about, is that they can only have 10 round magazines instead of 26-30 rounds. This does reduce out of state entries because no one wants to either buy extra mags to come to NY or modify the ones they have.
Some out of state people don't want to come to NY for a competition because they aren't sure of the laws. The laws to bring a handgun into NYS haven't changed.
Limited isn't being used because there was already a Limited-10 division. Other than these two changes everything is the same for IPSC/USPSA. None of the law changes have affected IDPA because it always had a 10 round limit.
So can you have one in the chamber and a full 7 round magazine in the pistol?
Yes, 7+1 is legal in a 10 round magazine. The original law wouldn't allow new 10 round magazines, but that was deleted because they finally realized that 7 round magazines aren't available for many handguns. Yet another example of writing laws about something you know nothing about.
265.20 7-f of the NYS Penal Code:
Possession and use of a magazine, belt, feed strip or similar
device, that contains more than seven rounds of ammunition, but that
does not have a capacity of or can readily be restored or converted to
accept more than ten rounds of ammunition, at an indoor or outdoor
firing range located in or on premises owned or occupied by a duly
incorporated organization organized for conservation purposes or to
foster proficiency in arms; at an indoor or outdoor firing range for the
purpose of firing a rifle or shotgun; at a collegiate, Olympic or target
shooting competition under the auspices of or approved by the national
rifle association; or at an organized match sanctioned by the
International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association.
Section 265-20 lists all the exemptions to the laws. If you don't read this section then it sounds like everything is prohibited. I believe many laws are written in this form of everthing that is illegal followed by the exemptions.
For anyone interested, the NYS Police published a guide (
available here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/174855115/New-York-State-Police-SAFE-Act-Field-Guide) to the laws that explain how they will enforce the SAFE Act. All the sheriffs said they would not enforce the laws, but I'm sure there's some variance to that and that doesn't include urban police forces.
