Ban Of Firearms With High Capacity Magazines Weighed In PA

HARRISBURG, PA — Citing the slew of mass shootings committed using similar weapons and loopholes in the law that allow easy access, Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a new measure that would ban the sale of firearms with high-capacity magazines.

The proposed House bill 2621 would make Pennsylvania the ninth state to limit such military-style, machine guns and semi-automatics, though nearly all of the states on that list lean farther to the left than does Pennsylvania. The bill defines high capacity firearms as weapons that can accept more than 15 rounds of ammunition, or more than five shotgun shells.

"Tragically, these magazines have a historical precedence of being used time and again in horrendous acts of violence committed in this country and within this state," State Rep. Kevin J. Boyle wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum.

The proposal comes just as national attention turns to Oregon, where voters approved a referendum that significantly restricts the sale of such weapons. It also comes just weeks after the latest mass shooting incident in Colorado, which claimed the lives of five and injured dozens at an LGBTQ nightclub. A Pennsylvania native was among the victims.

Boyle cited that shooting, but also the recent slayings at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia and the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting in Pittsburgh as examples of incidents which he says his bill would help prevent.

"Due to their ability to hold so many rounds of ammunition, large capacity magazines significantly increase the amount of death and destruction that the automatic and semi-automatic firearms that utilize them can inflict," Boyle added.

Supporters also point to the fact that a large percentage of law enforcement deaths come from these high-capacity magazines. From 2009 to 2013, they accounted for 40 percent of the killings of officers in the United States.

Gun control, of course, has been one of the most divisive topics in both Pennsylvania and national politics for decades, even dating back before the Columbine incident in Colorado in 1999. Before the 2022 midterms, there would have been little chance for any such legislation to advance. However, with control of the state legislature now effectively split between Democrats and Republicans, and a Democratic governor in office for the foreseeable future, a compromise on a bill is not impossible.

Further, while firearms ownership in Pennsylvania is high, Oregon and Colorado serve as precedence for light blue states with a strong hunting and gun culture that acted on gun control after experiencing multiple mass shooting tragedies.

Other states to pass similar bills beyond Colorado include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Colorado, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York, along with the District of Columbia.