Through the newly introduced Keep Americans Safe Act, U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) seek to ban the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer or even possession of gun magazines that carry more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
These high-capacity magazines have come under fire in recent years for their roles in several, increasingly common mass shootings on American soil. The bill was introduced during the anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during which a 19-year-old former student killed 17 students and staff members.
The new bill would provide only limited exceptions to the bans listed above, specifically for certain current and former law enforcement and Atomic Energy personnel, as well as testing and for tubular devices that can only take .22 rimfire ammunition. Coupled or joined magazines would be prevented, buyback programs for high-capacity magazines would be authorized, and devices manufactured after enactment would have to have obvious serial numbers and dates of manufacture printed on them so that law enforcement could better identify, track and restrict. The FBI and ATF would also be authorized to seize and destroy high capacity magazines — something they are currently forbidden from doing.
“Commonsense gun reform can prevent families’ worst nightmares from becoming reality,” Kaine said. “In this new Congress, I hope my colleagues join me in taking action to ensure high-capacity magazines do not enter our schools, offices, places of worship, and concert halls.”
The bill was cosponsored by dozens of Democratic senators, though at this time it lacks any support from their Republican colleagues. Notable non-profit organizations have rallied behind it as well, including the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence and March for Our Lives, to name a few.
“Large capacity magazines transform guns from dangerous weapons into weapons capable of mass murder. That’s why large capacity magazines are a common thread in so many high-profile mass shootings,” David Chipman, senior policy advisor at Giffords and a retired ATF Special Agent, said. “If our country is serious about addressing our devastating gun violence crisis, we must start by having a serious conversation about the type of weapons we’re making available on our streets.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention currently estimates that nearly 38,000 U.S. citizens were killed through gun violence in 2017 alone.