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Which states prohibit high-capacity magazines?

14 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Alabama has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Alaska has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Arizona has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

California has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Colorado has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Connecticut has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Delaware has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Florida has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Georgia has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Hawaii has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Idaho has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Illinois has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Indiana has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Iowa has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Kansas has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Maine has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Maryland has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Massachusetts has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Michigan has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Minnesota has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Missouri has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Montana has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Nevada has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

New Jersey has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

New York has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Ohio has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Oregon has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Rhode Island has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Texas has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Utah has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Vermont has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Virginia has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Washington has adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

These laws prohibit the purchase of high-capacity magazines, which are ammunition-feeding devices designed for lethality—enabling a shooter to fire more rounds without pausing to reload. States have typically defined high-capacity to include magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, though a few states provide different thresholds. A full discussion on High Capacity Magazines is here. 

The Impact

From 2009 to 2022, the 10 mass shooting incidents with the most casualties all involved the use of at least one firearm equipped with a high-capacity magazine. Research shows that states with restrictions on magazine size experience mass shootings at less than half the rate of states without restrictions.

High Capacity Magazines Prohibited

Policy adopted?
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Show Citations and Footnotes 
Source: Cal. Penal Code §§ 32310, 16350, 16740; C.R.S. § 18-12-302(1); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202w(a)-(c); Del. Code Ann. tit. 11, §§ 1465, 1466; Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8(c); Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law § 4-305(b); Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, §§ 131M, 121; N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2C:39-3(j), 2C:39-1(y); N.Y. Penal Law §§ 265.10(1)-(3), (6), 265.36, 265.00(23); R.I. Gen. Laws. §§ 11-47.1-2, 11-47.1-3; 13 V.S.A. § 4021(a); 2021 WA S 5078 (to be codified); D.C. Code § 7-2506.01(b)).

Top 10: Las Vegas, NV, 471 people shot, 60 fatally; Orlando, FL, 102 people shot, 49 fatally; Aurora, CO, 70 people shot, 12 fatally; Highland Park, IL, 53 shot, 7 fatally; El Paso, TX, 46 people shot, 23 fatally; Fort Hood, TX, 45 people shot, 13 fatally; Sutherland Springs, TX, 45 people shot, 25 fatally; Uvalde, TX, 38 people shot, 21 fatally; San Bernardino, CA, 36 people shot, 14 fatally; and Parkland, FL, 34 people shot, 17 fatally. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Mass Shootings in America,” accessed January 5, 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/maps/mass-shootings-in-america/. 

<1/2: Louis Klarevas, Andrew Conner, and David Hemenway, “The Effect of Large-Capacity Magazine Bans on High-Fatality Mass Shootings, 1990–2017,” American Journal of Public Health 109, no. 12 (2019): 1754-61, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305311. Study defined mass shooting as six or more shot and killed, excluding the shooter; Sam Petulla, “Here Is 1 Correlation between State Gun Laws and Mass Shootings,” CNN, October 5, 2017, https://cnn.it/2J4sWCC. Study defines mass shootings as incidents where three or more victims, not including the shooter, are shot and killed or shot and wounded.

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