Is New York's 7-round magazine capacity limit a backdoor ban on semi-automatic handguns?

New York’s new gun law imposes a seven-round magazine capacity limit on handguns.

As Anna Rittgers notes, “there are blindingly few semiautomatic handguns manufactured to hold magazines with a maximum capacity of only seven rounds.”

Some Twitter users say this means that the majority of semi-automatic handguns in New York will be illegal.

@hannityshow So the new gun law in NY has made most all self defense handguns illegal since most semi-automatic handguns have 10 rnd clips

— Jerry Rogers (@JerryLRogers) January 16, 2013

https://twitter.com/LogicalSkeptic/status/291506649921892352

@gunexpert As a NY'er, if my pistol has more than 7 rounds in the magazine in MY OWN HOME, it is now illegal. Absolute lunacy.

— Tom Dennison (@ThomasDennison1) January 16, 2013

Glad I don’t live in NY. It’s illegal to own a clip that has more than 7 rounds in it? That’s a little ridiculous.

— Александр (@alexandrT_) January 16, 2013

https://twitter.com/PapaBartik/status/291406988506705920

The standard 4 ammunition is 10 rounds & now NYC law made it 7 – that means all those celebrity bodyguards are illegal, most of NY & police

— Averebely (@AVerebely) January 16, 2013

@FraggleStikkCar NY Law any magazine over 7 rounds is now illegal.WTH?No grandfather clause.Most ppl have at least 10rounds.

— Kelly (@flyoverangel) January 16, 2013

Similar comments at Glock Talk:

“It’s an attempt at a back door ban on most pistols. Cuomo picked 7 because all the gun manufacturers currently make 10 round mags for the restrictive states and New York is hoping the manufacturers will not want to make 7 rounders just for New York.”

“My guess is that it’s a back door ban: no one makes 7-round mags, and I doubt manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon for NY…”

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Others say handguns with ten-round magazines are grandfathered provided the user loads only seven rounds:
https://twitter.com/BMIT24/status/291357408486379522

So the new gun law will grandfather in pistols w 10 rounds. But it is illegal to load them w more than 7 rounds. Good luck w that!! Lol

— Bills_Chick (@Bills_Chick) January 16, 2013

Guns that had been legal but r being banned would b grandfathered in, but their owners must register their firearms w the state or sell them

— Los Melendez (@simplylos16) January 16, 2013

Many gun owners simply aren’t sure what the law means.

@l1zzard74 @AnthonyCumia I think it would have to be modified to only hold 7. Could be wrong though

— John (@da_bully) January 16, 2013

Much more discussion here and here.

We hope officials in New York will clear up the confusion by issuing a definitive statement.

Related:

#SelfDefenseInNY: Choose your Cuomo-approved useless weapon

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ‘overpowers the extremists,’ signs package of extensive gun regulations into law