Does the MA AWB pick up where the old one left off?  As in, are the only legal hi-cap mags the ones made before 1994?

Yes, Yes.

But will new mags even be marked any different in order to tell when they were made? I assume that they aren't going to say that law enforcement crap on them anymore. If there are not markings on the new mags then the MA law would be meaningless except for mags made during the ban. Just wondering.

TP,

Agreed if there is no way to tell when a mag was made, enforcement will be impossible (unless mag design didn't exist in 1994).

Hopefully no companies will date-stamp their new mags (H&K has been doing this for years BTW). There are 10 states with AWB/mag bans that won't go away. I do expect some pressure on mfrs to mark them so that states can prosecute. We'll see which companies have brass balls and which ones are wusses.

The law in question is MGL c. 140 sec. 131M:

§ 131M. Assault weapon or large capacity feeding device not lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994; sale, transfer or possession; punishment


No person shall sell, offer for sale, transfer or possess an assault weapon or a large capacity feeding device that was not otherwise lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994. Whoever not being licensed under the provisions of section 122 violates the provisions of this section shall be punished, for a first offense, by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than ten years, or by both such fine and imprisonment, and for a second offense, by a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $15,000 or by imprisonment for not less than five years nor more than 15 years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.


The provisions of this section shall not apply to: (i) the possession by a law enforcement officer for purposes of law enforcement; or (ii) the possession by an individual who is retired from service with a law enforcement agency and is not otherwise prohibited from receiving such a weapon or feeding device from such agency upon retirement.

Emphasis added.

You know your state law is screwed up when the sections have numbers like 131 ¾ and 131P.

And remember, in Massachusetts political corruption is a spectator sport.