Fresno sheriff, store owners welcome blocking of CA high-capacity magazine law

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A federal judge blocked a California gun law which was supposed take effect Saturday.

It would have banned the possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines defined as being capable of carrying over 10 rounds.

None of the handguns and rifles on display at Herb Bauer's Sporting Goods have high-capacity magazines. They've been illegal to buy or sell in California for 17 years.

State law would've required people to turn in high-capacity magazines into gun stores or law enforcement or face fines.

"I've had nobody come in who wanted to turn anything in," Barry Bauer said.

The state law was overturned by a federal judge who ruled the ban takes away gun owners' second amendment rights. Bauer at the sporting goods store was pleased to hear about the ruling but expects an appeal.

"The judge just made a determination that the government cannot take your property and there would be irreversible damages if we let the law go into effect," he said.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims says the state law would only impact law-abiding citizens. She too wasn't expecting anyone in the Valley to turn in any magazines.

"We're not going to be actively looking at sales rosters, looking at these to see who may have purchased these and enforcing the law that way," she said. "It's a waste of our time."

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra criticized the judge's ruling saying in a statement, "I will defend the will of California voters because we cannot continue to lose innocent lives due to gun violence."

Voters approved Proposition 63 in November which in part banned the possession of high-capacity magazines.