S&W clip capacity question

[jeffyboy]

New to the forum, glad I found you!

I have a question and I did searches but I'm a noob and can't seems to find an answer.

What is the law in regards 15/16 rounds magazines when the firearm and clips where purchased 20 years ago? I am asking because my father-in-law has a S&W 5905 that he purchased in the late eighties and he has a few 15 round clips for it. Are those clips legal? I thought only 10 rounders were legal in CA? I don't want to see him get in trouble, any help would be grateful.

[RedDawn]

I think you mean magazines, not clips...

[69Mach1]

If you owned the high capacity magazines before the ban, than you're golden.

[RedDawn]

magazines which accept more than 10rds are legal to own and use provided they were in your possession prior to 2000 in California.

So, yes it is legal for your father to possess, and use those magazines. It is not legal for him to sell, loan, or give them to you or anyone else however.

[jeffyboy]

magazines which accept more than 10rds are legal to own and use provided they were in your possession prior to 2000 in California.

So, yes it is legal for your father to possess, and use those magazines. It is not legal for him to sell, loan, or give them to you or anyone else however.

Thanks...great to know....now the wife will stop bugging me....worried her dad was going to jail!

[JTROKS]

LOL! My mother had the same concern when I opened a box that I put away after Y2K passed w/o a hitch. There were about 4 bandoleers of AR-15 and bout 14 AK high cap mags. Oh! A 75 round drum ready to wind that was full of rounds. All legal and people at the range look at me like I'm crazy when I bring that stuff out. Of course I got my AW registration with me at all times.

[Miltiades]

Good old 1999

In 1999 it was well known among gun owners in CA that the 10 round magazine law was taking effect on 1/1/2000. Magazines with capacity of 10+ were readily available then, in spite of the Federal law of 1994, as long as they had been manufactured prior to 1994. But they were priced higher than you might expect because of relative scarcity.

I went to a couple of CA gunshows in late 1999, and it seemed like every vendor was selling 10+ capacity magazines, for every conceivable rifle or pistol that would take such magazines. And the customers were buying up the magazines rapidly, paying $60 to $80 each for Glock, Sig, Beretta, Ruger, S&W and other brands. People were buying magazines for guns they didn't own yet, in anticipation of someday buying the gun. I would guess that hundreds of thousands of "high capacity" magazines were sold in CA in 1999.

[JTROKS]

Yup! I could not believe a gun show vendor at Pomona sold me the AK 75 round drum for $65. I actually bought an EAA 38 super mag for $89 just because there weren't any. Those were the crazy days and you know what, if we let the antis in the office I'm sure the worst of dark years concerning our gun rights is near.

[offrdmania]

From my understanding now there is new legislation on the books saying that you can only buy 50 rounds per month and only sold at shops starting Jan 1 2009. No more ammo at Walmart, Big 5, etc

[Librarian]

From my understanding now there is new legislation on the books saying that you can only buy 50 rounds per month and only sold at shops starting Jan 1 2009. No more ammo at Walmart, Big 5, etc

There's a proposed bill similar to that, but it's not 'on the books'.

It's also not so restrictive as your understanding. You might like to go here and tell the Assembly to defeat the bill.

[tonelar]

i've heard magazines refered to as clips before.

Even an ex-military armorer I like to bring problems to sometimes refers to mags as clips.

Naturally I thought it was just a coloquialism...