High-Capacity Magazine Ban Signed by Los Angeles Mayor

Following its unanimous passage by the Los Angeles City Council in late July, an ordinance was signed into law by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Aug. 7 that bans ownership of firearm magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

The ordinance becomes law 60 days after the mayor’s signature, or September 19.

Those exempt from the ban include Hollywood movie propmasters, gunsmiths, law enforcement, museums (if the magazines are on display) and anyone with a “grandfathered mag” to a firearm for which there is no 10-round magazine produced.

As a result of the law, residents of Los Angeles who now possess magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition will be required to sell them, remove them from the city or turn them over to Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) no later than November 20, 2015. 

The only alternative available to those who now legally possess high-capacity magazines is to store them outside the city limits. However, the National Rifle Association (NRA) warned this week that leaving magazines with friends or family outside of Los Angeles may qualify as an “unlawful transfer” under state law.  

The three ammunition-feeding device exceptions to the ordinance include:

- Any feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot hold more than 10 rounds;

- Any .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device; and

- Any tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm.

 The National Rifle Association has already indicated it will likely challenge the ordinance in court.

The NRA and other firearms advocacy groups point out that the ordinance limits the Second Amendment right of legal gun owners, while doing nothing to prevent violent crime or mass shootings. Further, a majority of modern rifles and handguns sold today are equipped with “standard magazines” placing them in violation of the new ordinance.