The recent mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, which left 18 dead and over a dozen injured, now ranks as the deadliest active-shooter incident in the U.S. so far in 2023. The killings, which were carried out with an assault-style weapon, have led to renewed calls from the White House for gun control reform – including a ban on high-capacity magazines.
But few issues are more divisive in Washington than gun control. And while partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill has stymied efforts to strengthen federal firearm restrictions, many state governments have successfully implemented high-capacity magazine bans.
High-capacity magazines allow a shooter to fire more rounds before having to stop and reload. In an active-shooter situation, this creates fewer opportunities for victims to escape or for law enforcement to intervene. According to the Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention group, high-capacity magazines a common denominator in many of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. in recent years. (These are the states where gun-related crimes are surging.)
Reviewing data compiled by the Giffords Law Center, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states that have imposed restrictions on high-capacity magazines. Washington D.C. was also included in our analysis.
Of the 15 jurisdictions on this list, only two do not explicitly ban possession of a high-capacity magazine. In these two states – Maryland and Washington – restrictions on high-capacity magazines generally apply only to their manufacture, sale, and distribution. (Here is a look at every state’s grade on gun laws.)
In many more states on this list, residents who owned high-capacity magazines before bans went into effect are still permitted to possess them, though in some cases this requires a special permit or registration.
It is important to note that there is no universally accepted definition of exactly what constitutes a high-capacity magazine. In most states on this list, only those capable of holding over 10 rounds of ammunition qualify. Other states, however, set a higher threshold of 15 or even 17.
Here are the states with the high-capacity magazine bans.
California
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, importation, keeping for sale, offering and exposing for sale, giving, lending, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed until a new, more restrictive, law goes into effect
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Colorado
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 15 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Sale, transfer, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – previously owned high-capacity magazines are exempt from ban
Connecticut
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Distribution, importation, keeping for sale, offering and exposing for sale, purchase, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed, but must be registered
Delaware
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 17 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, purchase, receipt, transfer, or possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed – but concealed carry permit holders are exempt
Washington D.C.
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Possession, sale and other transfer
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed
Hawaii
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds rounds for handguns only
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, and acquisition
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed
Illinois
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for long guns; 15 rounds for handguns
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, delivery, purchase, or causing another to manufacture, sell, or deliver, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – previously owned or inherited high-capacity magazines are exempt from ban, but their use is limited to specific circumstances and locations
Maryland
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, offering for sale, purchase, receipt, and transfer
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – there is no ban on possession
Massachusetts
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Sale, offering for sale, transfer, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – previously owned high-capacity magazines are exempt from ban
New Jersey
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, transportation, shipment, sale, disposal, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed – unless capable of holding 11-15 rounds and registered before July 13, 2019
New York
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, transportation, disposal, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed
Oregon
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, transfer, importation, use, possession, and purchase
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – previously owned or inherited high-capacity magazines are exempt from ban, but their use is limited to specific circumstances and locations
24/7 Wall St.
Rhode Island
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, possession, and have under one’s control
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Not allowed
Vermont
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for long guns; 15 rounds for handguns rounds for All Firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, sale, offering for sale, purchase, receipt, transfer, and possession
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – previously owned high-capacity magazines are exempt from ban
Washington
> Legal magazine capacity limit: 10 rounds for all firearms
> Restrictions apply to: Manufacture, import, distribution, and sale
> Personal ownership of legacy high-capacity magazines: Allowed – there is no ban on possession
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