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Prohibit High-Capacity Magazines

Solutions

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?

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

Myth & Fact

Myth

High-capacity magazines are not that prevalent.

Fact

Firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines account for a significant portion of guns recovered by police—and it’s no wonder they’re used in crimes. High-capacity magazines are designed for lethality. Guns equipped with these types of magazines maximize injury and make fatality more likely.

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

Victories

You might be wondering…

  1. 1 What are high-capacity magazines?
  2. 2 Are high-capacity magazines legal in every state?
  3. 3 Are high-capacity magazine prohibited under federal law?