Online Gun Sellers Settle Lawsuit Over Large-Capacity Magazines In California
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Five online gun equipment suppliers have agreed to stop selling or advertising large-capacity firearm magazines or magazine repair kits to California customers in a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued the companies in February, alleging that they were selling large-capacity magazines, some of which can hold more than 100 rounds of ammunition, in a disassembled state as "repair" or "rebuild" kits, and falsely claimed that they were legal in California.
State law has prohibited the sale, manufacture or import of large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition since Jan. 1, 2000.
San Francisco voters approved a ban on the possession of large-capacity magazines, in addition to their sale, in 2014, and state voters in November approved Proposition 63, which includes a ban on the possession of large-capacity magazines in most cases. Prop 63 will take effect July 1.
"Californians have spoken clearly," Herrera said. "We don't want these weapons in our communities."
The 10-year, court-imposed injunction that the court is expected to finalize Tuesday prohibits the companies from selling the magazines and kits to California customers.
It also requires them to notify customers on their websites that those items cannot be purchased in California, permanently delete any suggestion that they can be legally shipped to California from their websites and remove California as a billing or shipping option for the items.
The companies will also pay $22,500 to cover the city attorney's investigative costs. The companies named in the suit are Badger Mountain Supply, 7.62 Precision, Shooters Plus, LAK Supply and Buymilsurp.com.
Herrera previously filed a similar lawsuit against four companies in 2013, prompting the state Legislature to strengthen laws to specifically prohibit the sale or purchase of such kits.
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