Assault Weapons for personal use by LEOs

[Rofocale]

Correct me if i'm wrong. But are LEOs allowed to purchase AWs or HiCap Mags for personal use? Or is it only for On-Duty use?

Always curious, because i always remember seeing 30 round ak-47 magazines for sale in gunstores. But they would say for LEO sale only etc... I think to myself i never heard or seen any LEOs carrying ak-47s in their patrol car or use them in duty.

[Rickrock1]

Correct me if i'm wrong. But are LEOs allowed to purchase AWs or HiCap Mags for personal use? Or is it only for On-Duty use?

Always curious, because i always remember seeing 30 round ak-47 magazines for sale in gunstores. But they would say for LEO sale only etc... I think to myself i never heard or seen any LEOs carrying ak-47s in their patrol car or use them in duty.

What is an Assault rifle to you ???

[Rofocale]

sorry i will clarify. Assault Rifle being a semi-auto rifle with the ability to accept a detachable magazine and has various features such as pistol grip etc...

So like an Ar-15 with detachable magazine and pistol grip. Something normally carried by LEOs in their patrol cars. That is what i mean by assault rifle.

[TRICKSTER]

LEOs are exempt from 10+ magazine law, they can purchase "hi-cap magazines" any time they want. They are not exempt from Assault Weapon laws and can only purchase and register a Assault Weapon if authorized by their department.

[Rofocale]

ah ok that is cool. Is there a reason LEOs are exempt from HiCap mag purchases?

[OldShooter32]

Quit drinking the Kool-aid. "Assault rifle" is a fabricated word like "Saturday night special" created by MSM and politicians to demonized firearms that are "scary" and give the impression that they are somehow more powerful and devastating than another rifle without a "scary" look. Semi-automatic rifles are NOT "assault rifles" -- if you accept the term used by our glorious DHS they are "Personal defense weapons." That's what they called them when they ordered 7,000 select-fire rifles.

[bear308]

"Assault rifle" is not an anti-gun term. It's a classification of firearm no more egregious than carbine. Assault weapon is, on the other hand, a term that not only makes no sense, but was brought upon us by the anti gun movement. Neither should apply to a semi-auto rifle.

[Rofocale]

i'm using common terminology most people can identify with and what the state of california would call certain semi-auto rifles with certain characteristics. not trying to debate semantics.

The question on "assault weapons" or "assault rifles" was answered. Now curious about the Hi Cap Mags. Why are LEOs exempt from the 10 round mag law? I can understand for having hi cap mags for duty. But why personal use?

[RickD427]

i'm using common terminology most people can identify with and what the state of california would call certain semi-auto rifles with certain characteristics. not trying to debate semantics.

The question on "assault weapons" or "assault rifles" was answered. Now curious about the Hi Cap Mags. Why are LEOs exempt from the 10 round mag law? I can understand for having hi cap mags for duty. But why personal use?

Ok, I'll take on the large-capacity magazine question.

From the context of your question, it appears you are seeking a rational reason why LEOs may purchase large-capacity magazines for personal use while ordinary citizens cannot. If this is the case, please divorce yourself from that manner of thinking. That's not how it works.

Our laws are formed through the political process. They are proposed by an elected official who advocates the proposed law. The proposed law gets debated through both the State Senate and Assembly. The proposal is subject to changes in both places. Nearly every law has senators and assemblypersons who favor, and those who oppose, the proposal. Members of both bodies try to manipulate the support, or opposition, to the proposal as best suits them so they can get a majority vote to either pass or defeat the bill. (I won't even go into the various strategies to either park, or derail a bill). They can do this by bargaining their support for other bills (vote trading), or by altering the content of the bill to make it more or less palatable as suits their purpose (whether they want to pass the bill, or kill the bill). All of this happens in an environment heavily populated by lobbyists. Elected representatives play to lobbyists in order to get support (both political and campaign) when they need it, and they yield to lobbyists when they can so they get that support, on other bills, when they need it.

Law enforcement groups have powerful lobbies. Law enforcement tends to oppose legislation that is burdensome to its members. The easiest way to turn that opposition into support is to exempt LE from a bill's provisions.

That's why LEOs get to purchase large-capacity magazines. That's why Hollywood gets to own machine guns. That's why you and I have to pay money to get our cars out of impound when the banks and rental companies do not.

Mark Twain said it best "Laws are like sausages, it's best when you don't see how they are made."

[Notorious]

Assault rifle. Legitimate classification for weapons with select fire capability firing an intermediate cartridge that is not a full power battle rifle cartridge such as the 7.62x51mm. Modern military AK and M16/M4 fits that definition.

Semi-automatic carbine. Any shoulder weapon that fires a round with every pull of the trigger. Some might have scary looking features such as pistol grips and black plastic furniture. Some might even look like their military counterparts, but without the select fire feature. No more deadly than any other firearm out there.

Assault weapon. Political made up term used to incite and scare people and defined however they want to define it. Mostly used to define the semi-automatic carbine that they don't like, even though it has nothing to do with a real assault rifle. If used in an assaultive manner, any weapon is an assault weapon, including a rock or a stick or a fist or a nuclear bomb. They can all be used in assaults.

LEO's are exempt from buying a scary looking gun with a detachable magazine if they are full time and receive written authorization from their chief. Then they have to register the weapon with DOJ when they buy it from an authorized dealer. This is the only exemption they have with respect to CA AW laws.

LEO's are exempt from restrictions on magazine capacity for any purpose, duty or not. That's just how life goes. The exemption only applies to magazines, in the buying, importing, manufacturing, etc.

However, if a LEO does not have an exempt AK, buying all the large capacity AK magazines doesn't matter because he still can't use the magazines in his bullet button locked AK as that is manufacturing an AW under CA laws. LEO's are not exempt from AW laws except as above.

[Rofocale]

Okay thanks for the answers.

[trendar5]

The other thing to think about: Regular, full-time sworn police don't lose their police powers or sworn status at the end of their shift. If a police officer goes to a range on a day off to shoot, how can you prove in court that he was not training, but instead just shooting for recreation and fun? How would you enforce such a distinction?

[Ron-Solo]

To add on to what others have posted, any gun you use to improve your shooting skills could be considered a training gun.

Skills are skills, regardless of the gun.

[Warhawk014]

The other thing to think about: Regular, full-time sworn police don't lose their police powers or sworn status at the end of their shift. If a police officer goes to a range on a day off to shoot, how can you prove in court that he was not training, but instead just shooting for recreation and fun? How would you enforce such a distinction?

not sure i understand what your trying to ask here.
if they go to the range on their day off to shoot? enforce what?

[manuelcardenas77]

So what does SCAR stand for? For those who say the "AW" is fabricated by the media....