Gun Magazine Manufacturer Leaving Colorado if Democrats Pass Ban

Erie, Colorado-based Magpul Industries founder Richard Fitzpatrick is making one thing clear: if Democrats in the state house and senate succeed in passing a high capacity magazine ban, Magpul is leaving the state and taking the $85 million it would have generate for Colorado next year with it.

Fitzpatrick’s company has been making magazines for AR-15s since 1999 and is now “one of the country’s largest producers of magazines and other firearms accessories for gun enthusiasts, law enforcement, and the military.”

He says attempts to restrict the size of magazines and add serial numbers to each one will make production costs untenable in Colorado.

Moreover, with state Democrats pressing for a bill to hold gun manufacturers liable for the criminal misuse of “assault weapons,” Fitzpatrick fears that if Magpul remains within the state and a criminal tapes two magazines together to outsmart the ban, Magpul will be held liable. 

The good news for Magpul is that Wyoming and Texas are already asking the company to relocate to their states. 

Some supporters of the bill say, “Magpul is bluffing.” But Fitzpatrick countered, saying, “It’s not really a threat. It’s a promise.”