DeGette, Titus, Schneider, Hirono, and Blumenthal reintroduce bill to ban high-capacity gun magazines

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) along with Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10),U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), reintroduced the Keep Americans Safe Act (KASA) to reinstate a nationwide ban on the sale, transfer, possession, import, or manufacture of high-capacity gun magazines that hold more than fifteen rounds.

“By continuing to allow these weapons of destruction in our streets, we are enabling individuals to unleash a hail of bullets, turning any public space into a potential warzone,” Rep. DeGette said. “The impact of high-capacity gun magazines is not an abstract concept for us Coloradans—it is a painful reality etched into the fabric of our communities. From Aurora to Boulder to Columbine, high-capacity magazines have enabled shooters to inflict more damage and kill more innocent people. Americans deserve a Congress that acts decisively to protect their safety, and it is our duty to deliver on that promise.”

“We in Las Vegas know all too well what happens when a mass shooter is armed with a weapon equipped with a high-capacity magazine,” Rep. Titus said, referring to the 2017 Harvest Festival shooting that claimed the lives of 60 people. “As a gun owner myself, I know these are not for sport or hunting, they are killing machines. The Keep Americans Safe Act would protect families, law enforcement, and community members from this deadly form of gun violence.”

“Two and a half years ago, on July 4th, 2022, in the span of 60 seconds, a deranged gunman fired 83 rounds from high-capacity magazines attached to a semiautomatic rifle into the crowd at the Highland Park Independence Day Parade. The gunman murdered 7 beautiful people and wounded more than 40 others, traumatizing an entire community. High-capacity magazines are designed to maximize lethality—allowing a shooter to kill en masse without having to pause to reload. Firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines are frequently used in mass shootings and are responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people. I’m proud to join Reps. DeGette and Titus to reintroduce the Keep Americans Safe Act, to ban high-capacity magazines and help reduce the devastation of gun violence,” Rep. Schneider said.

“As we work to combat our nation’s gun violence crisis, banning high-capacity magazines is a crucial step toward combatting senseless acts of gun violence and protecting our communities,” said Senator Hirono. “Everyone deserves to live their lives free from the scourge of mass shootings and this commonsense legislation will help to keep dangerous, high-capacity magazines out of our communities and keep Americans safe.”

“The common denominator in nearly every mass shooting is large-capacity magazines (LCMs), dangerous accessories that allow shooters to continuously fire without reloading, robbing victims of an opportunity to flee or intervene. Regardless if they are paired with handguns or assault weapons, when LCMs are used in shootings, 155% more people are shot and twice as many people are killed. Brady is grateful to Sen. Blumenthal, Sen. Hirono, and Rep. DeGette for their leadership and is proud to endorse the Keep Americans Safe Act to regulate these dangerous accessories and make America safer.” — Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence

“High-capacity magazines enable shooters to cause devastating harm in a short amount of time and restricting them will help prevent mass shootings that have tragically become too common. If enacted, the Keep Americans Safe Act would save lives because it is working in states who’ve adopted similar laws. When a mass shooting occurred, states with a large-capacity magazine ban had 38 percent fewer fatalities and 77 percent fewer nonfatal injuries.” — Nick Wilson, senior director of gun violence prevention at Center for American Progress.

“High-capacity magazines were designed for war, but have become a favored tool for mass shooters looking to inflict maximum carnage. We applaud Senator Hirono for introducing this legislation, which will keep high-capacity magazines out of civilian hands.” — John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.

According to Everytown, in mass shootings with four or more people killed between 2015 and 2022, high-capacity magazines led to more than twice as many people killed, and nearly 10 times as many people wounded per incident on average.

Rep. DeGette previously introduced KASA in 2023 alongside Rep. Titus and Rep. Schneider. In 2024, she and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) led a discharge petition, attempting to circumvent House Republicans’ inaction and force a vote on KASA.

The Keep Americans Safe Act would:

1. Ban the sale or transfer of high-capacity gun magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds to anyone other than law enforcement.
2. Ban the possession of a high-capacity gun magazine manufactured after the date of enactment by anyone other than law enforcement.
3. Authorize high-capacity magazine buyback programs; and
4. Authorize law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ATF, to seize and destroy high-capacity magazines possessed illegally.

A federal law prohibiting semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in place from 1994 to 2004. While research showed this regulation reduced the likelihood of mass shooting fatalities by 70 percent, this federal law has not been renewed since 2004.

Read the full bill text here.

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