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Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines

    Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines

      What does this solve?

      Firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines make instances of violence exceptionally deadly. High-capacity ammunition magazines, commonly defined as those capable of holding more than 10-rounds, are a threat to public safety and should be prohibited.

      A gun magazine is the rectangular piece that holds ammunition for feeding into the firearm’s chamber. High-capacity ammunition magazines, commonly defined as those capable of holding more than 10-rounds, make shootings more deadly. The more rounds a shooter can fire without reloading, the more wounds they can inflict.1Elzerie de Jager et al., “Lethality of Civilian Active Shooter Incidents with and without Semiautomatic Rifles in the United States,” JAMA 320, no. 10 (2018): 1034, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.11009.  Congress and state legislatures should act to prohibit high-capacity magazines to reduce the devastation of gun violence in America.

      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

      How it works

      Prohibiting high-capacity magazines would reduce mass shooting deaths.

      Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines Fact Sheet

      High-capacity magazines are commonly defined as ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than 10-rounds. These devices enable a shooter to fire many bullets without pausing to reload. High-capacity magazines can hold as many as 100-rounds, and standard high-capacity magazines hold 30-rounds and can be purchased for as little as $8.1Alain Stephens, “The Gun Industry Is Betting on Bigger High-Capacity Magazines,” The Trace, June 12, 2019, https://bit.ly/2P4qlgh. But these inexpensive magazines have a costly human impact.

      Shootings involving high-capacity magazines have more fatalities and wounds than those that do not. 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.

      High-capacity magazines are often used in the violence that plagues our nation. Firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines account for an estimated 22 to 36 percent of crime guns.2Christopher S. Koper et al., “Criminal Use of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Semiautomatic Firearms: An Updated Examination of Local and National Sources,” Journal of Urban Health 95, no. 3 (2018): 313–21, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-017-0205-7. This threat to public safety has no place in our communities.

      In 1994, Congress passed a law generally prohibiting high-capacity magazines, but the prohibition expired in 2004. As a result, high-capacity magazines are legal unless state or local law prohibits them. A 2021 study found that the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was associated with a significant decrease in public mass shootings and related casualties, preventing at least 11 public mass shootings during the 10 years it was in effect. The researchers also estimated that had the law remained in effect from 2005 through 2019, it would have prevented 30 mass shootings that resulted in the death of 339 people and wounded 1,139 more.3Lori Post et al., “Impact of Firearm Surveillance on Gun Control Policy: Regression Discontinuity Analysis,” JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 7, no. 4 (2021): e26042, https://doi.org/10.2196/26042. Study defined mass shooting as four or more victims killed with a firearm at a public location. Familicides and felony killings were excluded.

      By the numbers

      Myth

      High-capacity magazines are not that prevalent.

      Fact

      Although the gun lobby has argued that these weapons are only used in a small percentage of firearm-related violent crime, a 2018 study estimated that guns equipped with high-capacity magazines, which include assault weapons and other semiautomatic firearms, account for 22 to 36 percent of crime guns in most places, with some estimates upward of 40 percent for cases involving serious violence, including homicides of law enforcement officers. And the problem may be getting worse: research suggests that the prevalence of high-capacity magazines in guns used in crimes has grown substantially since the 2004 expiration of the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

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      Did you know?

      Some estimates indicate guns equipped with high-capacity magazines account for upwards of 40 percent for cases involving serious violence, including homicides of law enforcement officers.

      Koper C. S., et al. “Criminal Use of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Semiautomatic Firearms: an Updated Examination of Local and National Sources”. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-017-0205-7