With just days to go before Colorado’s strict new gun control law is set to take effect, gun accessories manufacturer Magpul says it plans to distribute 1,500 30-round magazines to gun owners for free.
The company, which has vowed to leave the state over the law, will take part in what organizers are calling a “Farewell to Arms Festival,” on Saturday in Glendale, KDVR.com reports.
Magpul plans to give away magazines to the first 1,500 attendees and participants will also be able to buy up to three magazines for $10 each, according to the report.
Glendale Deputy City Manager Chuck Line told the station the event will be the “last opportunity” for residents to obtain standard capacity magazines for the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
In March, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bills that would require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.
The magazines distributed at the event will be “grandfathered” in under the new law, event organizer Kelly Mahrer told KDVR.com.
Magpul company said in April that PMAG magazines, which can hold 10 to 30 rounds, were being made outside of Colorado for the first time and that sights were also being made elsewhere.
Officials and gun owners in various states, including Wyoming and Alaska, have tried to lure Magpul. The Erie-based company employs more than 200 people and generates about $85 million in annual taxable revenues.
In a posting on its Facebook page Wednesday, the company said it is in final negotiations for “the biggest portion” of its move out of state and hopes to make announce a new location before the end of July.
