Some pro-gun lawmakers are open to bullet capacity limits
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
| The New York TimesFirst Published 7 hours ago • Updated 6 hours ago
Washington •Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., is haunted by many things that emerged from the investigation of the December mass shooting at a Newtown elementary school. Among them is the nagging question of what prompted the gunman, Adam Lanza, to put down his assault rifle after killing 20 children and pick up the pistol he used to end his own life.
"We do know that historically in these instances, amateurs have trouble switching magazines," Murphy said, referring to the high-capacity ammunition feeding device used by Lanza to shoot scores of bullets in seconds. "I believe, and many of the parents there believe, that if Lanza had to switch cartridges nine times verses two times there would likely still be little boys and girls alive in Newtown today."
It is that conviction that has helped put fresh scrutiny on the size of magazines as Congress debates new gun laws.
While influential lawmakers in both parties view a proposed ban on assault weapons as politically toxic, lawmakers seem increasingly open to a ban on high-capacity magazines, like the 15- and 30-round devices that have been used in shooting rampages from Aurora, Colo., to Tucson, Ariz., where congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, to Newtown.
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