[kineticmind]

Just bought a Ruger P345 a few days ago and have a question about the legality of removing one of the gun's safety features. It's the mag disconnect safety, which I have absolutely no use for nor desire to keep, but I've noticed that over at the Ruger forums the subject of removing the safety seems to be pretty taboo.

The controversy with this particular gun is that when it's dry fired without a magazine in place, the firing pin will strike the safety and can potentially damage both the pin and the safety... permanently preventing the firing pin from ever making contact with the primer, (I.e. - useless for self-defense). I've gone ahead and removed the safety while I was inspecting the firing pin for any damage from the previous owner... which was a simple process and can easily be returned to factory condition. Are there any legal reasons here in Georgia why this isn't a good idea?

 

[45_Fan]

Just bought a Ruger P345 a few days ago and have a question about the legality of removing one of the gun's safety features. It's the mag disconnect safety, which I have absolutely no use for nor desire to keep, but I've noticed that over at the Ruger forums the subject of removing the safety seems to be pretty taboo.

The controversy with this particular gun is that when it's dry fired without a magazine in place, the firing pin will strike the safety and can potentially damage both the pin and the safety... permanently preventing the firing pin from ever making contact with the primer, (I.e. - useless for self-defense). I've gone ahead and removed the safety while I was inspecting the firing pin for any damage from the previous owner... which was a simple process and can easily be returned to factory condition. Are there any legal reasons here in Georgia why this isn't a good idea?

The only problem I see is that if you attempt to sell it in that condition in a location that requires a magazine safety.

I recently removed the magazine safety on a new acquisition. The parts went into a little plastic bag should the original functionality ever need to be restored.

 

[kineticmind]

Just bought a Ruger P345 a few days ago and have a question about the legality of removing one of the gun's safety features. It's the mag disconnect safety, which I have absolutely no use for nor desire to keep, but I've noticed that over at the Ruger forums the subject of removing the safety seems to be pretty taboo.

The controversy with this particular gun is that when it's dry fired without a magazine in place, the firing pin will strike the safety and can potentially damage both the pin and the safety... permanently preventing the firing pin from ever making contact with the primer, (I.e. - useless for self-defense). I've gone ahead and removed the safety while I was inspecting the firing pin for any damage from the previous owner... which was a simple process and can easily be returned to factory condition. Are there any legal reasons here in Georgia why this isn't a good idea?

The only problem I see is that if you attempt to sell it in that condition in a location that requires a magazine safety.

I recently removed the magazine safety on a new acquisition. The parts went into a little plastic bag should the original functionality ever need to be restored.

Thanks.

That's exactly what I did with mine and put it in the factory case. I didn't think there were any laws against disabling a safety feature, at least not in Georgia, but I really just wanted to be sure just in case I ever have to use the gun in self-defense and it gets confiscated. I'd hate for something like that to be used against me.

 

[ARMT Guy]

I really hate magazine disconnectors.. and hate them and the whole idea of them with a passion.

That being said, if a person ever had to use a pistol that included a mag diconnect in it's design, but this feature was removed my the owner, then this could be used against the owner by a, ( desparate ) prosecuter to try and show evil intent on the part of the gun owner, or something along those lines. :roll:

I know it's BS, you know it's BS, and nearly every other gun owner out there knows this, yet it's something that should be considered. At least be ready to explain to a jury, etc, why you did this.

I also understand that a pistol with this feature could potentially be useful to LE in case of a gun grab by a criminal. However, with proper gun retention training beforehand, the need for this feature in a pistol becomes very questionable, IMO.

Aside from a Browning Hi Power, none of my pistols have this feature and I avoid any other pistol so equipped like the plague.

 

[45_Fan]

I really hate magazine disconnectors.. and hate them and the whole idea of them with a passion.

That being said, if a person ever had to use a pistol that included a mag diconnect in it's design, but this feature was removed my the owner, then this could be used against the owner by a, ( desparate ) prosecuter to try and show evil intent on the part of the gun owner, or something along those lines. :roll:

I know it's BS, you know it's BS, and nearly every other gun owner out there knows this, yet it's something that should be considered. At least be ready to explain to a jury, etc, why you did this.

I also understand that a pistol with this feature could potentially be useful to LE in case of a gun grab by a criminal. However, with proper gun retention training beforehand, the need for this feature in a pistol becomes very questionable, IMO.

Aside from a Browning Hi Power, none of my pistols have this feature and I avoid any other pistol so equipped like the plague.

I'm 100% undecided on a magazine disconnect for a carry gun. In my case, this is a range-only gun that I never intend to carry or loan out for self defense. Having a magazine disconnect would increase complexity in two ways. First, it would require a magazine for dry fire exercises which means the slide locks back every time a drill is run which requires extra instructions and steps that do not mirror defensive use. Second, it increases the opportunity for the introduction of live ammo to be introduced into non-live exercises at the range. In other words, should one prefer a "Is that magazine loaded?" or a "No magazine present during drills." type situation?

 

[AV8R]

I keep all my mags loaded for obvious reasons. How much would it suck to go and unload a mag just to function check my XD? I'm so used to slamming loaded mags into my XD that a simple brain fart could cause an ND. Hell, I go through a whole production with dry fire practice (one mag only with snap caps) in order to keep live ammo out of reach (along with loaded mags). I don't want to do all this for a simple function check, or worse... get lazy and end up with an ND.

That being said, if a person ever had to use a pistol that included a mag diconnect in it's design, but this feature was removed my the owner, then this could be used against the owner by a, ( desparate ) prosecuter to try and show evil intent on the part of the gun owner, or something along those lines.

I'm trying to figure out how removing the mag disconnect would show evil intent. :-k Hell, just buying a gun could be considered evil intent in some states!

 

[ARMT Guy]

I'm trying to figure out how removing the mag disconnect would show evil intent. :-k

:lol: Me too!

 

[gunsmoker]

I think there's a lot of legal risk in disconnecting any factory-supplied safety device on any product, period.
If that gun / tool / applicance is involved in an incident where somebody is injured by accident, the lawyers for the injured person will claim that YOU caused the accident by disconnecting a safety. They will ignore any other links in the chain of causation (such as contributory negligence or comparitive negligence by the injured person).

I might take a magazine disconnect out of one of my guns, but I'm the only one who uses my guns. And I would return it to its original condition prior to selling it or trading it to anybody else in the future.

P.S. Except I did cut-off the safety for my SKS rifle. I didn't like the way it felt in the "fire" position. I hacksawed it off, so now the manual safety cannot be used by hand, only with the tip of a bullet, pen, knife, car key, or something similar.

Since I can't restore that rifle's safety to the original factory functioning, I'll be sure to only sell it to somebody who will sign a short statement that they have been warned about this modification and will follow the fundamental rules of gun safety (Cooper's first 3 out of 4 rules), and they will also warn any subsequent user or owner of this rifle's safety modification.

..

 

[kineticmind]

Thanks for the responses.

I can and will return the safety back to factory condition if/when I decide to sell or trade the gun, but my personal preference - since I will be carrying it somewhat regularly - will be to leave it out. I understand the practical application of the safety, I'd just rather not have it... especially on days that it's carried IWB, when accidental engagement of the mag release is a possibility while it's being carried.