5 What is the current federal law regarding assault weapons and high-capacity magazines? Similarly, when high-capacity magazines were used, five times* more people were shot compared with those mass shootings with no high-capacity magazines. 4 An analysis of mass shootings committed from 2009 through 2018 found that when assault weapons were used, six times* more people were shot compared with those incidents in which other firearms were used. These weapons are designed to fire bullets at higher velocities than handguns, increasing the lethality of shootings perpetrated with them. The use of an assault weapon equipped with a high-capacity magazine increases the likelihood that a particular shooting will have a high death and injury count. 3 What happens when an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine is used in a shooting? 2 Magazines that accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition can be used in both long guns and handguns that accept detachable magazines. The functionality of high-capacity magazines has advanced in recent years, with the firearms and ammunition industry designing the devices to reduce the probability that ammunition will jam while multiple rounds are rapidly fired. Today, models exist that can hold 20, 30, 50, or 100 rounds of ammunition in a single magazine.
A gun fitted with a high-capacity magazine can fire a higher number of bullets before needing to be reloaded. 1 What is a high-capacity magazine?Ī high-capacity magazine-also referred to as a large-capacity magazine-is a device that feeds ammunition into a firearm that holds more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Firearm manufacturers, in response to declining sales of handguns, began selling assault rifles in the civilian market in the 1980s as part of a broader effort to create a new market for military-style guns among civilian gun owners. What is an assault weapon?Īssault weapons are semi-automatic firearms-meaning that they fire a round every time the trigger is pulled-that are capable of accepting a detachable magazine and have another military-style feature such as a pistol grip, a folding stock, or a threaded barrel.
Congress must enact a federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to keep these dangerous weapons out of U.S. They are weapons of war that have no place in civilian society. history, and they contribute to the daily toll of gun violence in communities around the country. Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have repeatedly been used to commit some of the worst mass shootings in modern U.S.