U.S. Senate Democrats unveil legislation to ban high-capacity gun magazines

WASHINGTON — A total of 28 U.S. Democratic senators, including Sen. Jeff Merkey of Oregon, have introduced legislation to ban high-capacity magazines, which can be used on the type of semi-automatic firearm that is typically used in most mass shootings. 

“High-capacity magazines were designed for one purpose and one purpose only — high-capacity killing — and have been used in some of the deadliest mass shootings in America,” Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said in a recent statement.

The push for a ban on the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer or possession of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition builds on prior bipartisan gun control legislation that passed Congress and was signed into law last year. 

While that gun control legislation was historic, it did not ban assault rifles or high-capacity magazines, which have been used in mass shootings across the country from Uvalde, Texas, where 19 elementary school children and two teachers were killed, to Atlanta, where six women of Asian descent were shot and killed across several spas. 

However, House GOP lawmakers are opposed to most gun control legislation supported by Democrats and with a Republican-controlled House, it’s unlikely any gun control legislation would be brought to the floor. Democrats have a slim 51-vote majority in the Senate, and would need to pass any legislation with a 60-vote threshold. 

So far this year, there have been nearly 80 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks gun violence across the U.S. 

A recent mass shooting in Monterey Park, California renewed calls from the White House and Democrats to push for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. 

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California introduced a ban on assault weapons in late January that has garnered 41 cosponsors, but none are Republicans.

In the Monterey Park mass shooting on Jan. 21, the eve of Lunar New Year, a gunman used two semi-automatic pistols and an extended high-capacity magazine to kill 11 people and injure nine others. Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the shooter and is credited with preventing further deaths, is a White House guest for Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

“This is a commonsense bill that will provide greater peace of mind to communities and families across the country that have felt the despair of losing a loved one, friend, or neighbor in a mass shooting with guns equipped with high-capacity magazines,” Menendez said.

The bill, known as the Keep Americans Safe Act, if passed into law would also authorize a buyback program for high-capacity magazines, using grants, and require any devices manufactured after the law passes to have serial numbers engraved on them and the date of manufacture in order to help law enforcement identify restricted magazines. 

The bill would also grandfather in high-capacity magazines that were purchased before the law goes into effect. There would also be “limited exceptions for devices possessed before enactment, for certain current and former law enforcement personnel, for certain Atomic Energy personnel and other purposes, for tubular devices that can only accept .22 rimfire ammunition, and for certain authorized testing or experimentation,” according to a fact sheet from Menendez’s office.

The 25 Senate Democrats and two independents who are current cosponsors of the bill include: 

Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut 

Cory Booker of New Jersey

Ben Cardin of Maryland 

Tom Carper of Delaware 

Bob Casey of Pennsylvania

Chris Coons of Delaware 

Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada 

Tammy Duckworth of Illinois

Dick Durbin of Illinois 

Dianne Feinstein of California

Mazie Hirono of Hawaii 

Tim Kaine of Virginia 

Angus King of Maine (independent) 

Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota 

Ed Markey of Massachusetts 

Jeff Merkley of Oregon

Chris Murphy of Connecticut 

Patty Murray of Washington 

Alex Padilla of California 

Jack Reed of Rhode Island

Jacky Rosen of Nevada  

Bernie Sanders of Vermont (independent)

Tina Smith of Minnesota 

Debbie Stabenow of Michigan  

Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts 

Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island