Anti-Gun Congresswoman Introduces Magazine Ban, Threatens Slippery Slope

By Ammoland Editor Joe Evans

USA -(Ammoland.com)- Recently, Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) introduced H.R. 4052, a ban on what she is calling “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

Esty’s bill would ban any “magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition … .” It exempts firearms with “an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.” Mere possession, as well as import or transfer, would be prohibited by the bill.

The bill has a grandfather clause that would supposedly exclude “possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed within the United States on or before the date of the enactment,” but it’s hard to imagine how this exemption would work in practice.

The simple possession of a non-conforming magazine would be presumptive evidence of its criminality, and because many magazines are not date stamped or serialized, owners would have few options to substantiate eligibility for this “affirmative defense.” This could lead to arrests and confiscations even for lawfully-possessed magazines, with the only recourse by the accused to …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand