MA: Identifying Pre-Ban Glock Mags

I suggest reading the old Fed Law wrt what was required for a marking. IIRC a date wasn't required, but the words LE/Mil Only were required.

AFAIK, NOBODY marked mags that way until the Fed Ban came into being. There was no reason to do so and it wouldn't provide any marketing advantage.

On the other hand, EOTech puts LE/Mil markings on their sights and when the Fed Ban happened some mfrs put LE/Mil Only on their AR lowers to ID it and perhaps for marketing purposes. I suspect some mfrs continued the LE/Mil marking after the Fed Ban expired as a marketing gimmick . . . as people always want something "special" that LE or Mil have. But no such markings were required for guns before, during or after the Fed Ban (only required on mags during the ban).
Exactly! So again, any 10+ round Glock mag made during the ban would have to be stamped as restricted for LE/gov. Therefore, any such mag that does NOT have those markings, is pre-ban (with the exception of the post-2004 mags with ambi notches). Right? Seems pretty straightforward...
 
Exactly! So again, any 10+ round Glock mag made during the ban would have to be stamped as restricted for LE/gov. Therefore, any such mag that does NOT have those markings, is pre-ban (with the exception of the post-2004 mags with ambi notches). Right? Seems pretty straightforward...

That's what the federal law said, although it wouldn't even have cared about ambi notches, etc... there was even a chunk of US code that basically affirmed exactly this because the feds, in a rare moment of clarity- knew that this mag provenance bullshit would cause people problems; so they create a line in US code that basically says that any claim of pre ban is to be taken at face value as evidence, if the magazine does not have these markings... the federal law actually fully established a standard of evidence for a "post ban large capacity magazine". MA law does not, unfortunately... those particular bits of minutae from US code regarding the AWB were NOT copied verbatim into MA law. MA law only references the fed law at a very "basic" level.

-Mike
 
I have a pre ban mag that says "DPD". It has pre ban features but once belonged to the Detroit Police Department.

If I ran into a mag that had the usual Leo markings without the date I'd stay away.


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Need help identifying which in these photos are actually pre ban........Thanks
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Does anyone have the cited document that explains how MA allows the grandfathering of pre-ban mags?

I’ve spoken to a few officers in small talk that aren’t even aware of “pre-ban” laws.

I would hate to be questioned about my firearms in a traffic stop, and be in the situation of trying to convince an officer there is law that allowes pre-bans to be over the 10 round capacity.
 
Does anyone have the cited document that explains how MA allows the grandfathering of pre-ban mags?

I’ve spoken to a few officers in small talk that aren’t even aware of “pre-ban” laws.

I would hate to be questioned about my firearms in a traffic stop, and be in the situation of trying to convince an officer there is law that allowes pre-bans to be over the 10 round capacity.
Not at all surprised, just like how many ex-spurts out there will swear on their Mother's grave that all Glock mags with certain (questionable) features are post-ban due to pictures on the web.

Look in MGL C. 140, probably S. 121 - definitions where it defines what is grandfathered wrt AWs and mags.
 
There is a lot of folklore about how to ID preban Glock mags, but none of it would qualify in court without Glocks's cooperation.
 
There is a lot of folklore about how to ID preban Glock mags, but none of it would qualify in court without Glocks's cooperation.
Maybe.
However all post ban mags had their caliber markings raised to make room for govt/mil markings.

Any mag with low caliber markings is pre ban. I’ve been collecting mags for over 20 years and I carry those. I’d bet my freedom on that.

You can also confirm that in Sweeney’s Glock book. The chapter on mags if the authoritative source on the subject.
 
Any mag with low caliber markings is pre ban.
Ima need a citation for that. Make it better than sending me to the library to fine one particular book that, to my knowledge, has not been successfully referenced in MA courts. Definitely has to be better than some random guy "collecting mags for over 20 years" - I need substance.

btw the mags you're selling are overpriced.
 
I'm pretty sure that I posted the actual pages from the book in this thread some time ago.

The book I have was published in 2003 (during the Clinton Ban) so it is pretty definitive.

I doubt that anyone has actually gone to trial over Glock mags, most charges are plead out for lesser charges rather than rolling the dice and waiting 2 years for your trial.
 
I doubt that anyone has actually gone to trial over Glock mags, most charges are plead out for lesser charges rather than rolling the dice and waiting 2 years for your trial.
I have not heard of any cases in MA where the only charge was possession of a post-ban mag by an LTC holder. This is quite different from CA and NY where such charges are the norm.

If someone knows of such a case, I would like a cite so I can read the decision.
 
However all post ban mags had their caliber markings raised to make room for govt/mil markings.

Any mag with low caliber markings is pre ban. I’ve been collecting mags for over 20 years and I carry those. I’d bet my freedom on that.

You can also confirm that in Sweeney’s Glock book. The chapter on mags if the authoritative source on the subject.
Ima need a citation for that. Make it better than sending me to the library to fine one particular book that, to my knowledge, has not been successfully referenced in MA courts. Definitely has to be better than some random guy "collecting mags for over 20 years" - I need substance.

btw the mags you're selling are overpriced.
So I went and bought the book and here's what it says on the topic of high/low caliber markings:

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He said, she said, it seems this, it seems that. Absolutely no definitive factual information.
 
So I went and bought the book and here's what it says on the topic of high/low caliber markings:

View attachment 240031

He said, she said, it seems this, it seems that. Absolutely no definitive factual information.
Such minutiae is not enough reasonable doubt for a conviction even in Mass.

You make a good point on the ambiguity though.
 
Such minutiae is not enough reasonable doubt for a conviction even in Mass.
How do you know? Do you have something you want to share that would be helpful? [laugh]

The paucity of AWB charges related to magazines is pretty apparent, and actual AWB charges that even go to anything resembling even a
standard bench trial is exceedingly rare. 99% of these things either get CWOFed, Nolle'd or whatever. Meaning there's never a real
test of the law.


You make a good point on the ambiguity though.

Ambiguity is part of the very definition of reasonable doubt, lol.

None of this glock mag stuff is authoritative. It's always "some glock armorer told me", etc. There's never any official documentation from Glock legal counsel, or the corporation etc.

Actually the book's point about replacement tubes is notable, because I believe at the time with the feds it was basically legal to refurbish a
magazine in its entirety as long as you didn't effectively create a new mag. God only knows what MA thinks about that (or not).

-Mike
 
That should make U notch even more valuable.

All U notch without LEO markings are pre ban. I say that because there were u notch Leo marked mags on a g18 mag.

I’m pretty comfortable with square notch or low markings that look like mags I bought 24 years ago.

I guess as previous posts say- if not u notch - you never know 100%. 99.9% is good enough for me.
I’m not too worried about the 1 in 1000 chance a mag was imported from Europe. The millions of US pre ban mags outweigh some grey market European post ban mags.
 
Well square notch is pretty well documented as being around before 1994 when Glock tried to address the not-falling-free problem. Then they went to the slant notch and here's where it's totally gray, as far as I can tell, because no one seems to now exactly when those came out.
 
Well square notch is pretty well documented as being around before 1994 when Glock tried to address the not-falling-free problem. Then they went to the slant notch and here's where it's totally gray, as far as I can tell, because no one seems to now exactly when those came out.
Indeed - however if they have low caliber marking - I'll take my chances.

I can't imagine more than 10,000 grey market mags with low caliber markings.

That is 1 percent of all pre ban mags.

There are MILLIONS of pre ban mags in circulation.

Glock even said that over 10,000 pre ban mags have HIGH caliber markings because they were made as Glock was preparing to add the LEO markings but did not have the LEO markings in the mould yet since it was before the day of September 13, 1994. That according to a Glock Armorers class instructor from years ago. Doughnman(?) if I recall. The same guy that was the helicopter pilot when they did the torture tests.
 
I guess as previous posts say- if not u notch - you never know 100%. 99.9% is good enough for me.
I’m not too worried about the 1 in 1000 chance a mag was imported from Europe. The millions of US pre ban mags outweigh some grey market European post ban mags.

Not really considering tons of Glock etc mags were imported from europe by Glock itself and 3rd party sources during the
ban. (this also applies to other manufacturers like HK etc. ). A lot of importers just filled out an affadavit stating preban compliance
and as far as I know, BATFE has never denied a single one of those import applications. I don't see how anyone can call Glock factory-
embossed mags "gray market". Hell I would not be surprised if Glock themselves imported some "questionable" magazines. (which is part of the reason they don't want to go on the record about it, perhaps. )

-Mike
 
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