Ammunition Feeding Device Charge Dismissed After JFK Airport Arrest

Our client, a licensed firearm owner who had legally purchased gun parts in Connecticut, was stopped and arrested at JFK Airport while traveling internationally after his empty firearm magazine was discovered — conduct that, under New York City law, is generally prohibited regardless of a person’s out-of-state license.

Our office identified a critical exception. While New York City Administrative Code § 10-131(i)(6) bars possession of an “ammunition feeding device,” subsection (a) of that same provision permits a licensed pistol or revolver holder to possess a magazine for a firearm they are authorized to own, provided it holds no more than seventeen rounds and does not extend below the grip. Our client’s magazine, a 10-round 9mm magazine, fell squarely within that exception.

We presented this argument to the court, and the charge was dismissed.