Traveler’s Warning — Los Angeles Magazine Ban Starts Nov. 18th

Don’t drive through the City of Los Angeles (or fly into LAX) if you have a magazine that holds more than ten (10) rounds. The Los Angeles City Council enacted a new law that makes mere possession of a full-capacity magazine illegal EVEN if it was obtained legally. Possession of a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds will now be a misdemeanor throughout the City of Los Angeles. This applies to any person within city limits, including those traveling via Highways or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). View this Map to see Los Angeles City boundaries, which encompass all major North/South freeways and train routes.

The CTD Shooter’s Log warns travelers: “The law doesn’t just apply to Los Angeles city residents. Non-resident gun owners must avoid traveling through any part of the City of Los Angeles while possessing any banned magazine. Notably, the City intersects every major Southern California freeway. In some cases, the City of Los Angeles completely surrounds other smaller cities, like Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. So anyone traveling out of Santa Monica or Beverly Hills, and anyone traveling through the city of Los Angeles with a banned magazine can be prosecuted.”

Summary: Under the ordinance, possession of any “large-capacity” magazine within Los Angeles after November 19, 2015 will be a misdemeanor offense. Los Angeles residents must get rid of their banned magazines by November 18, 2015. You can surrender magazines to the LAPD, sell them to a licensed firearm dealer, transport them out of the City limits, or you can “permanently alter” the magazine so it no longer hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

Trap for Unsuspecting Travelers
We fear this new law will be a trap for the unsuspecting, including match competitors traveling through the L.A. metropolis on the way to other venues. We suggest that you do not even think about bring large-capacity magazines into the general Los Angeles area (even if you presume you can skirt the city limits). If you can’t avoid transiting Los Angeles, bring only magazines that hold no more than ten rounds — and test them to make sure you can’t shove in an 11th. You can be sure that the friendly LAPD will “assume the worst” when stopping citizens for violation of the magazine law.

SHOT Show Warning: If you are headed to SHOT Show in Las Vegas and have high-cap mags for display or for use on Media Day, it’s best to steer clear of Los Angeles. Be mindful of this when planning your Air Travel.

Elsewhere in California — Older High-Cap Magazines Are Grand-Fathered
Under current California state law it is illegal to buy, sell, manufacture, or import magazines that hold more than ten rounds. However, statewide (except in San Francisco, Sunnyvale ,and Los Angeles) it is still completely legal to possess such magazines if they were acquired legally BEFORE the high-cap magazine ban went into effect. In other words, possession of “pre-ban” high-cap magazines is “grandfathered” in California — you just can’t buy or sell them anymore within California.