Expired Ban & other Commonsense Legislation would Prohibit Sale of AR15-Rifle and High Capacity Magazines used in Aurora Shooting

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) today called for reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban, which lapsed in 2004, in order to protect Americans from military-grade weapons capable of inflicting severe casualties, such as AR-15 assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

 “Even more Americans would have lost their lives had one of the Aurora shooter’s guns not jammed. It’s not enough to hope and pray that every shooter’s weapons malfunction. We can and must mitigate gun violence through commonsense restrictions on high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons.”

According to reports, the alleged Aurora, Colorado gunman was armed with four legally-purchased weapons including an AR-15 assault rifle and a high-capacity drum-style magazine capable of holding 100 rounds. He had purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition.

Lowey was a cosponsor of legislation introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) to reinstate the assault weapons ban.  Lowey is also a cosponsor of legislation recently introduced by McCarthy designed specifically to restrict sale of large capacity magazines that can hold dozens of rounds of ammunition.

Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said this week, “This tragedy is another grim reminder that guns are the enablers of mass killers and that our nation pays an unacceptable price for our failure to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people…As someone who has suffered the lasting impact of gun violence, and President of Brady, I can tell you that we don’t want sympathy.  We want action.”

"Enough is enough,'" said Lowey.  "While demented individuals intent on killing will find a way to commit murders, it is clear that access to high capacity weaponry and ammunition dramatically increase the likelihood of mass casualties as a result of shootings like those at Virginia Tech; Fort Hood; Tucson, Arizona; and Aurora, Colorado.”

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