A high-capacity magazine (or large-capacity magazine) is a magazine capable of holding a higher than normal number of ammunition rounds for a particular firearm (i.e. more than in a standard magazine for that firearm).
A magazine may also be defined as high-capacity in a legal sense, based on the number of rounds that are allowed by law in a particular jurisdiction.[1] For example, in the United States, the now-expired Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 restricted magazines that could hold more than ten cartridges.
Types, characteristics, and manufacturers
Drum magazines are high-capacity magazines that are in a cylindrical shape; they once had a reputation for unreliability, but technological improvements resulted in better performance and cheaper cost.[2] As a result, drum magazines became more common in the civilian market in the United States, although they are far less common than standard, lower-capacity, typically 30 round, box magazines.[2] As of 2019, about six manufacturers produced drum magazine in the United States, retailing for about $100 each.[2] Manufacturers include KCI USA and Magpul Industries; the latter produces the same drum magazines for both civilian and military use.[2] Magazines larger than standard capacity have been reported to malfunction more often.[3]
Between 1994 and 2004, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which included a ban on high-capacity magazines, was in effect. It prohibited new magazines over 10 rounds in the United States.[2] After the expiration of the ban, there is no nationwide prohibition against the possession of high-capacity magazines, which are considered an unregulated firearm accessory.[2]
As of 2019, nine states and the District of Columbia set a maximum limit on the capacity of magazines for at least some firearms.[9][10] The nine states with high-capacity-magazine limitations are California (Proposition 63, passed in 2016), Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.[10] Hawaii's magazine-size limitation only applies to handguns; the laws in the other eight states and D.C. apply to all types of guns.[10] All of the ten jurisdictions with magazine-size limits set the maximum at 10 rounds, except for Colorado (which sets a maximum of 15 rounds) and Vermont (which sets a maximum of 15 rounds for handguns and 10 rounds for long-guns).[10] The types of acts prohibited vary among the ten jurisdictions; most prohibit manufacturer, sale, or possession, but some states' laws are narrower (Maryland law does not ban possession of high-capacity magazines) while other states' laws are broader (some states also ban the transfer, transportation, or acquisition of high-capacity magazines).[10] Some states' laws include "grandfather" pre-ban high-capacity magazines, exempting these from their law, while other states' laws do not.[10]
^District of Columbia v. Heller, 670 F.3d 1244 (D.C. Cir. 2011) (Heller II); see also Post-Heller Second Amendment Jurisprudence, Congressional Research Service (updated March 25, 2019).