TTAG/GSL image by John Boch.

One million magazines. That’s how many standard capacity feeding devices Golden State residents bought during the one week when sales become legal in California recently.

Reportedly a pallet of Magpul P-Mags for America’s favorite rifle, the AR-15, tallies up to 3,000 magazines.  So a million magazines represents… a lot of pallets. In simpler terms, many semi-truck loads of freedom pellet dispensers flooded into California to feed the demand from good guys and gals.

The UK Daily Mail reports what the CBS Evening News will not:

More than a million high-capacity ammunition magazines flooded into California during a one-week window created when a federal judge temporarily threw out the state’s ban, gun owners’ groups estimated on Thursday.

Reform groups said the projections are self-serving as gun rights organizations try to make the case that magazines holding more than 10 bullets are so common now that a ban is impractical.

The magazines aren’t tracked. But there are plenty of anecdotal evidence that the floodgates briefly opened when US District Judge Roger Benitez overturned the state’s nearly 20-year-old ban late last month.

The judge halted sales a week later, but ruled that those who bought the magazines can legally own them while the state appeals his ruling.

‘Everything was all sold out. I basically took whatever I could get,’ said Chris Puehse, who owns Foothill Ammo in Shingle Springs, east of Sacramento.

Oh, it gets even better.

He fielded dozens of telephone calls while buyers stacked up 20 deep in his one-man store to buy the hundreds of magazines that arrived in two shipments last week. He had just six left by the time Benitez reinstated the ban last Friday.

‘People loved it. It was like we were out of prison and were not treated like bastard stepchildren of the country anymore,’ he said.

“It was like we were out of prison and were not treated like bastard stepchildren of the country anymore.”

Well said, sir.

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87 COMMENTS

  1. Hell of an argument against any “they aren’t in common use” claim…even moreso if the claim is that any obscurity isn’t due to the law itself.

    I see this having shockwaves in NY eventually.

    • “I see this having shockwaves in NY eventually.”

      Shockwaves?

      With luck, in about a year’s time, it’ll be like the detonation of a triple-stage thermonuclear device.

      That actually *works*… 🙂

      • Indeed. An end to the magazine restrictions argument would be like a MIRV all across the gun control movement.

      • The end to Un Constitutional magazine bans is coming nation wide,I think sooner rather than latter,especially with a decision of the NYSRPA v NY city case.
        If strict scrutiny in all 2 nd, amendment is the order of the day rendered out of that case,then look for a boat load of Un Constitutional laws to fall

    • So far NY judges- including federal ones in the NY districts- have been happy to pretend NY is its own little kingdom where almost anything goes (explicitly including the mag limit). I think for NY to actually fall it will have to literally be the last domino (the last district allowing the ban) or it will have to be a SCOTUS decision. And even then, they’ll fight it for years.

    • The Freedom Loving People of Cuntifornia have voted with the only thing that matters, THEIR WALLETS, for freedom and self determination, ONCE AGAIN!

      Bet none of them get turned in, either.

    • “Hell of an argument against any “they aren’t in common use” claim”

      They just make this shit up as they go. Who was it a few months back saying that “common use” means you have to use it and AR’s aren’t in “common use” because most of their owners have them as a safe queen? It was some female politician at the national level. Damned if I can remember her name right now though.

      • It was Feinstein accidentally daring gun owners to start using firearms to defend their rights.

      • Their argument in the upper courts will be data comparing actual non-LEO self defense shootings with AR-15 or in the case of mags where more that 10-11 shots were fired in rules justified homicides which we know are going to be relatively rare.
        Everytown and the peer reviewed “gun violence researchers” have already gotten the idiot mainstream press to cite repeat the nonsense claims that the number of DGUs is the number of justifiable homicides when in fact it is on the order of ~0.02% of them. So you can fully expect to hear in spin and in judicial arguments the assertion that self defense with AR-15 is trivially rare and the “use” of >10 rounds in rifle or pistol is also rare.

    • The number is still increasing…any mag made before the stay (ie practically all of them) is ‘grandfathered’ for all purposes, so long as its date of arrival in CA can be concealed. The not-so-public smuggling routes are very much flowing.

    • 1 million is an EXTREMELY conservative number. I sent more than 100 mags to more than a dozen individuals in California, and I’m just one guy. All from my personal stash of extra mags, just selling in classifieds. There was a tremendous amount of private selling going on in addition to the retail.

    • I bought a few ETS glock and AR mags, and several packs of Wolff extra power AR 30rd Magazine Springs for my 10/30 mags. A lot of my shooting buddies didn’t buy during the MAGA-zine buying frenzy because they were already GTG on mags.

    • I sent 20; four I owned and 16 I bought from a LGS in Pennsylvania to one cousin in San Diego who called me, and three to another who called and doesn’t even own an AR yet.
      I bet the actual number sent into the state is multiples higher than shipped sales reports.

  3. I love the fact that Magpul specifically set aside cases of mags to be sent direct, for low prices and free shipping. Not to mention all of the online retailers that told me basically to wait for what I ordered, so that they could process the mag orders to CA. I was more than happy to wait. Magpul did the same thing for us before CO went stupid, so the next time a state is available to ship, Magpul will be there.

    • I think I’ll support magpul and order a ton of mags just because I still can. You never know when another panic/ban will happen.

      • Now THAT’s taking care of customers! Glad to hear that. I bought one of their speed loader. Guess I’ll have to buy something else from that company.

      • I try to buy 1-2 mags every check. (I get paid weekly) If not, something from my local store. (Glock mags, ammo, whatever.

        Every week or two weeks, grabbing 50rds of pistol or 20rd of rifle, over a year, it adds up. The best part is I don’t worry if there’s a panic, and I’m not feeling bad about dropping $25/week vs $300/case or whatever.

        Magpul is very receptive of their customers too. If you have ideas for new products or something, email them. They’ll at least respond personally and tell you one way or the other.

        • “Magpul is very receptive of their customers too. If you have ideas for new products or something, email them.”

          Bahaha! Of course they are, you just gave them an idea that will make them a shitz ton of money!

          Oh yeah,…you…, you will receive…..a very nice thank you. LOL!

        • “If you have ideas for new products or something, email them. They’ll at least respond personally and tell you one way or the other.”

          I am very fond of Magpul, that’s all I run in my AR pistol, but they never responded to my emails and other contacts with a suggestion. A while ago, I suggested that they consider producing a line of magazines WITHOUT date codes. This line could have no warranty, be of premium price, or whatever necessary to make it cost effective. Some would like to own magazines without date codes. Nothing but crickets. No response from Magpul; not even an acknowledgement that they received my messages.

  5. The common use argument is the most horrific argument ever. By that logic if something becomes scarce because it becomes illegal, then the infringement is a-ok. This is why new machine guns will always be illegal pending a revolution. That is, never.

    • This is all the arguement you need against such artificial scarcity arguments…and it won’t stop in CA, or with firearms I suspect.

      Anyone trying to ban uncommon stuff is going to now have to *also* demonstrate 1) a tangible, factual benefit that outweighs the freedom (“the greater good”) or 2) there is no market demand being trampled (good luck with that)

      One less weapon in their arsenal.

      • “2) there is no market demand being trampled (good luck with that)”

        Hard to argue since that’s the basis of their ban of machine guns as interstate commerce.

    • Common use is Leftard Bravo Sierra,I fail to locate the “Common Use” clause in the 2 nd. amendment however “Shall Not Be Infringed” stands out like no other amendment but is ignored.

  6. The prohibitionists are apoplectic because they want to downplay the numbers “common usage? No way!” but also inflate them “ahhh! Gun owners are horrifying, high capacity monsters who must be contained! Look at the damage they caused in just one week!”

    It’s hilarious, and I salute CA’s high capacity monsters.

  7. I was happy to read DailyFail acknowledge many mags were purchased during Freedom Week, but, typical, a complete wash-down article with their normal typos and lack of basic editorial understanding of low level terminology. In any event, it was likely several million mags that were procured by CA residents, in person, on-line or over the borders. And, I’m still waiting to hear or read about how many (estimated) Pistol mags were sold.

    9 million – 9mm.

    There, Now Magpul they can run that as a new ad campaign.

  8. LMAO!!!! Isn’t that 30,000,000 rounds? Which manufactures ran out of sheet metal and polymers?

  9. I was told by condescending “free state” gun owners that Californians had been disarmed by the state and were idiots for not moving. This can’t be true, right?

    It’s great to see gun culture is alive in California, much to the chagrin of the liberals trying to ruin the place.

  10. I have my misgivings about President Trump. But I suspect you will be able to keep and use those magazines in public ranges once his 9th circuit judge picks are installed. Feinstein is not a happy woman.

    • I’ve said it before about Trump. It doesn’t matter if he’s a true supporter of the 2a. He’s a business man and he is loading the courts with business friendly, conservative justices.

      Those justices will favor conservative causes. Trump and his buddies will get richer and we will get constitutional carry by the end of his second term. If not sooner.

    • Feinstein will pass away before she see any of her national level crap pass…. or be meaningful… or matter…. or not complied with even if it does. There is just too much unserialized plastic and metal out there… The ATF office in Anchorage Alaska didn’t even want people bringing bump stocks to them even to be turned in under protest, with forms filled out even though of course people could have no matter what the overly serious sounding agent or copy boy on the phone said. “Gosh George, aren’t you worried that someone will read this and come after you?” No… I’m 64 and I’ve been shooting my big mouth off to City Managers, state and federal LEO’s and various bosses for years. One has little to fear when you criticize with the truth.
      Years ago after Sandy Hook one of my sons came out of the little shop in my house and said “Dad, do you really have 100 of those P-mags in boxes?” i guess I had them marked with contents. Says I: “No son I have 300 of them, you must have missed the 20’s and 40’s” and “Did you see any of the metal ones either?” I had a small store or I would have had more inventory….

      • I will pull a cork on the day that old Communist crow kicks in celebration,the passing of yet another petty tyrant and the Republic still remains.

  13. I would have hoped that the state of Commiefornia was buried six feet deep in standard capacity magazines with three feet of drums on top for Freedom icing on the Liberty cake.

  14. The grabbers fail to realize that their efforts to ban so-called “assault weapons” and “high capacity magazines” have resulted in more of these items being in circulation than if they had just left us alone. A lot of people moved getting that AR or AK up on their list of priorities from something they “might get someday” to a high priority purchase as a result of the ban furor. Likewise a lot of people who already owned one have purchased multiples. And where owners of these rifles would consider two or three mags sufficient if they knew they could always by more but when a ban is a distinct possibility these owners want to have at least 10 per gun.

  15. Quit voting Democrat and campaign for Republicans. That’ll get the attention of freedom robbing Democrats and may even turn this thing around

    • Good luck convincing women that, they vote overwhelming Dem’s, because of feelzs…

      And that’s no joke, remove the women’s vote from the totals and the Dem’s would be, except in the bluest states, wiped out.

      • So true. The majority of women (not all of course) are all about feelings. Logic and facts be dammed.

        • Congratulations swarfie! Here’s your participation trophy, sure you have many.

        • @swarf the science, including peer reviewed work, shows women are much more pro gun control which we all know is driven by emotion and not fact.
          And cognition studies show women are much more likely to have an emotion driven disgust reaction to even a picture of a firearm.
          Bloomberg funds the big gun control lobby groups but the people who work for them (about 400 professionals) and volunteer for them are about 90% women.
          So put away your “incel” blurting, women are more emotion driven on this issue

      • Just remind them that the only politician with a confirmed kill in the ‘ war on women ‘, was a democrat.

  16. Commiefornia is a good model for ILLinois. I’m happy you got some mags. I can easily get higher capacity mags right NOW. What the evil dumbocrats do in the future is the question. Stock up! Oh and we’re having a blizzard right now near Chiraq😄😩

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  18. Why don’t Californians simply drive next door to a free state and buy mags? What am I missing here? Or they can have friends who live in free states ship them to them. There are many options around tyranny.

    • I will not confirm or deny that I have made cross lines trips to make purchases. What I will not do is involve friends or family in these transactions. I will break an illegal or immoral law on my own.

    • Mark, tons and tons of Californians have been doing that since the 2000. The point is that we were able to buy/ own them without risking a felony.

      • Well that’s good. I wonder if someone were to get busted if that would be a case for SAF to take up. Keep on buying. Fuck Swalwell and his ilk.

  19. Just FYI,

    One million magazines with 3,000 magazines to the pallet is 300 pallets.

    A standard capacity semi trailer holds 26 pallets.
    That was 13 truck loads of freedom rolling into California.

  20. It’s not the mags that were bought during that week. It’ all the standard mags that were already in the California to begin with. They are all legal now and can not be assumed to be purchased illegally. Millions of mags have been imported as “rebuild kits” over the years. If they were pre-2000 style mags, it’s easy to claim that you acquired them pre-ban, but there have been a lot of new guns and magazines since then (like P-Mags).

    • That was the problem,no P Mags,Lancers,ETS,2 nd Amend,Troy,MFT or plethora of new manufactures since 2000,thankfully with US District Judge Roger Benitez’s wonderfully written/reasoned decision that all changed. Let Freedom and Liberty reign in the Republic.

  21. I think the number is much higher than a million. How did they get that number? Did they ask every single online seller how much they sold? Did they ask every single mfg that sent orders to stores in CA?

  22. Palmetto State Armory put extra people in shipping and put all other orders on hold so they could concentrate on shipping mags to California that week.

    This upset some of the non Californians who had to wait an extra week to get their orders, but I’d totally understand the reason for the delay if I were one of those. It’s not like you expect same day shipping from PSA anyway.

  25. The 2nd Amendment should equally apply to all 50 states. People should leave the Liberal states and the rest of us should not visit or support them !

    • Haha you just ignore that comment liberals…haha….Richard was just…Kidding! The weather is perfect there in Calie, it rains every day in these cold northern states…BRRRRR!

  26. I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for the streets to run red with blood as a result of the glut of ‘super dangerous’ magazines in CA. Politicians keep pointing to mass shooters using them, the Parkland shooter used 10 round mags as they were easier to hide and transport. The kid in TX used a shotgun and revolver.

  27. Note to the U.K Daily Mail: once again, you knowingly or based on ignorance, I doubt the validity of the latter possibility, mischaracterize the magazines you comment. They are not “high capacity”, they are “standard capacity”.

  28. Enough of this modern day Hitler era , free the people and let the second amendment breathe for a change , we’re NOT the enemy .

  29. Real reason they don’t want standard capacity magazines: when they try to confiscate guns, the enemy will have to reload 3 times as often…or more.

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