For Release: Tuesday, January 18, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC — The Violence Policy Center (VPC), a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury, today hailed Representative Carolyn McCarthy’s (D-NY) proposal to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines at the Capitol Hill press conference announcing the bill.
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “Semiautomatic firearms loaded with high-capacity magazines – holding 15, 33, 50 or even 100 rounds of ammo – make mass shootings possible. High-capacity magazines are the common thread that runs through the most notorious and deadly mass shootings in America, including the Long Island Railroad massacre, Luby’s, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Fort Hood. Representative McCarthy’s simple and effective measure will save lives.”
The VPC today released a report, “Accessories to Murder,” which shows the variety of high-capacity magazines the gun industry currently markets to its shrinking customer base. (Read “Accessories to Murder: High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines,” at http://vpc.org/studies/accessories.pdf.)
Last week, the VPC released a report on high-capacity magazines used in 10 of America’s most notorious mass shootings. (Read “Ten Examples of High-Profile Mass Shootings in the United States Involving High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines,” at http://vpc.org/fact_sht/VPCshootinglist.pdf).
About the Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
