Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines
What does it 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 shells 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. Congress and state legislatures should act to prohibit high-capacity magazines to reduce the devastation of gun violence in America.
High-Capacity Magazines
Which states prohibit high-capacity magazines?
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
Myth & Fact
Myth
Fact
How it works
Prohibiting high-capacity magazines would reduce mass shooting deaths.
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. But these inexpensive magazines have a costly human impact.
Shootings involving high-capacity magazines have more fatalities and injuries than those that do not. In mass shootings between 2015 and 2022, high-capacity magazines led to 2.5x as many people killed and nearly 10x as many total casualties.
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% of crime guns. 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. Research shows that states with restrictions on magazine size experience mass shootings at less than half the rate of states without restrictions. Another study estimated that mass shooting deaths were 70% less likely to occur when the federal prohibition on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in effect.
By the numbers
11x
Mass shootings involving high-capacity magazines result in 11x as many shot and wounded per incident on average compared to those that did not include the use of high-capacity magazines.
60%
In mass shootings with four or more people killed from 2015 to 2022, 60 percent involved firearms with high-capacity magazines.
10x
Mass shootings with four or more people killed involving a firearm equipped with a high-capacity magazine resulted in nearly 10 times as many total casualties.
$8