Lawmakers renew push to ban high-capacity gun magazines nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Dina Titus (D-NV) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) introduced legislation today to ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines in the U.S.

The legislation – known as the Keep Americans Safe Act – would prohibit the sale or transfer of any high-capacity gun magazine capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition to anyone other than law enforcement. It comes as the number of mass shootings taking place around the country has risen sharply in recent weeks – including several high-profile shootings in California. Already this year, there have been more than 40 mass shootings reported throughout the U.S., which is the most mass shootings ever reported in the month of January.

High-capacity magazines, including those capable of holding 30, 60 or even 100 rounds of ammunition, have become a staple in some of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings. Sponsors of the legislation say that banning the sale of such magazines nationwide will make it harder for gunmen to obtain them, and is a necessary, commonsense step to protect communities throughout the U.S.

“No one in this country needs a magazine that holds 60 or 100 rounds,” DeGette said. “These magazines aren’t for hunting, they were designed for war. They allow a shooter to cause maximum harm in the shortest amount of time; and we need to get them off our streets now. One of the most effective things we can to do help protect our communities is banning these magazines immediately. While we know that this legislation, alone, will not prevent all future mass shootings from occurring, it will help make them less deadly.”

“By keeping high-capacity magazines out of our neighborhoods, the Keep Americans Safe Act would protect the families and law enforcement across District One who know all too well the dangers of gun violence,” said Rep. Titus. “Nevadans and all Americans deserve to be free from the scourge of mass shootings plaguing our country. I pledge to continue working with my Congressional colleagues to pass commonsense legislation that will keep our communities safe.”

“On July 4th at the crowded Highland Park Independence Day Parade, a deranged gunman used a semiautomatic rifle with high-capacity magazines to fire 83 rounds in under one minute – murdering 7 people, wounding more than 40 others, and traumatizing an entire community,” said Schneider. “High-capacity magazines are designed to kill en masse–allowing a shooter to fire off dozens of bullets without having to reload. These weapons of war are all too often used in mass shootings across the country and are responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people. That's why I helped reintroduce the Keep Americans Safe Act to ban high-capacity magazines, which would go a long way in reducing the lethality of mass shootings like the one in Highland Park and saving precious lives.”

While no two mass shootings are the same, a common thread among them has been the use of high-capacity magazines that enable a shooter to kill more people in less time. Research shows that shootings involving a high-capacity magazine led to 5x as many people being shot. And experts agree that banning the sale of high-capacity gun magazines nationwide is one of the most effective things lawmakers can do to better protect communities.

In 2019, for example, a gunman in Dayton, Ohio used a high-capacity magazine capable of holding up to 100 rounds of ammunition to fire 41 rounds – and kill nine people – in just 32 seconds.

In 2012, a gunman in Aurora, Colorado, also armed with a 100-round drum magazine, opened fire in a crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring 58 more.

The gunman who killed 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 was armed with high-capacity magazines capable of holding 30 rounds each; as was the shooter who killed 49 people at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016; and the gunman who killed 17 students and injured 17 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018.

In 1994, Congress enacted legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in the U.S. – and studies show that mass shootings were 70% less likely to occur during that time. That ban, however, expired in 2004 and has not been reinstated since.

If approved, 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 possessionof 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 FBI and ATF, to seize and destroy high-capacity magazines possessed illegally.

The bill would not prevent anyone who currently owns a high-capacity magazine from continuing to possess it. They would not, however, be able to sell or transfer that high-capacity magazine to anyone else after the bill is enacted.

The legislation also would not prohibit qualified law enforcement from purchasing or possessing high-capacity magazines for official use. And it would require that any high-capacity magazine manufactured after the bill is enacted to have both a serial number and the date of manufacturing printed on it so it can be easily identified as one that should be possessed by qualified law enforcement personnel only. Possession of a magazine manufactured after the bill is enacted by anyone other than law enforcement would be illegal.

The text of the legislation is available here.