The Bullet Button – California Legal

We have a Carbine class coming up on June 4-5 and we have been getting many email about whether or not prospective students can bring their rifles either with or without the bullet buttons. Here is Scott’s response:

The issue of the California bullet button is a recurring theme and frequently asked question. First and foremost you do want to stay within the legal guidelines of what the state requires whether you agree with the law or not. Circumventing the law will only result in legal problems which you definitely do not want. Think of it this way, if you are training and circumventing the law you are leaving yourself open to legal actions if such actions are brought to the authority’s attention. Should you use the weapon in a self defense situation and have circumvented the law then this will most probably become a central theme in the investigation. In both a criminal and civil procedure this could be problematic. A fairly simple way to avoid any and all of this is to adhere to the law.

We have a system which is both legal and fast if magazine changes are your main concern and we teach this procedure in our classes. As a thought – consider the fact that a California legal rifle would have a ten round magazine seated with one round in the chamber for a total of 11 rounds. A rifle round has the potential of delivering more stopping power than a handgun round and yet a .45 Colt only carries 9 total rounds when fully loaded in standard configuration with an 8 round magazine. Another thought which many do not give credence to is that hits count and misses do not. Perhaps, just perhaps if a problem has not been solved within 11 rounds then it is the shooter not the magazine capacity which is the real issue.

I know many will take exception to this which I fully expect but I am basing my statement on having been involved in such incidents for real on a number of occasions. In summation, it is your choice but my recommendation is to stay within the law whether you agree with it or not.

-Scott Reitz, ITTS Lead Instructor