Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines
The ‘Keep Americans Safe Act’ Would Prohibit Importing, Possessing, Selling, Manufacturing Gun Magazines with More than 15 Bullets
High-Capacity Magazine Used in 2022 Highland Park Parade Shooting, Used in More Than Half of All Mass Shootings from 2009 to 2018
Congressman Goldman Signs Discharge Petition to Force Republican House Leadership to Schedule Vote on the Bill
Read the Bill Here
Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) in introducing the ‘Keep Americans Safe Act,’ which would ban the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of high-capacity gun magazines. Today, Congressman Goldman signed Congresswoman DeGette’s discharge petition, which would force the Republican House Leadership to allow a vote on the Keep Americans Safe Act on the House floor. In the 118th Congress, House Republicans have not let a single piece of bipartisan gun safety legislation come to a vote.
High-capacity magazines are defined as any magazine that holds more than fifteen rounds. The Keep Americans Safe Act would not only prevent future creation of high-capacity magazines, but would also empower law enforcement to identify, seize, and destroy illegally possessed firearms with high-capacity magazines.
“High-capacity magazines are designed to kill masses of people in seconds,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “High-capacity magazines, used by our military in warzones, serve absolutely no purpose on our street but instead fuel mass killings of innocent civilians. Banning high-capacity magazines is common sense. It’s past time to get these weapons of war off of our streets. Congress must act to protect families and kids.”
Despite only a small percentage of guns utilizing high-capacity magazines, a 2018 study estimated that guns equipped with high-capacity magazines account for 22 to 36 percent of crime involving guns in, with some estimates showing upward of 40 percent for cases involving serious violence, including homicides of law enforcement officers. In mass shootings with four or more people killed between 2015 and 2022, high-capacity magazines led to more than twice as many people killed, and nearly 10 times as many people wounded per incident on average.
The Keep Americans Safe Act would:
Prohibit the importation, sale, possession, or transfer of high or large-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than fifteen rounds; providing limited exceptions for devices possessed before enactment and for certain current and former law enforcement.
Require devices manufactured after enactment to have visible serial numbers and labeling indicating date of manufacture to assist law enforcement in identifying restricted magazines.
Authorize high-capacity magazine buyback programs through federal justice funding.
Authorize agencies like FBI and ATF to seize and destroy illegally possessed firearms with high-capacity magazines.
Congressman Dan Goldman is fighting to pass the commonsense gun safety legislation that is supported by a majority of Americans.
In February, the Congressman cosponsored three commonsense solutions that would protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence. The ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ would have prohibited the weapons used in eight of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in recent American history. The ‘Bipartisan Background Checks Act’ supported by more than 90 percent of both Democrats and Republicans in America, would require that every sale of a firearm include a background check. ‘Ethan’s Law’ would require gun owners to safely and securely store their firearms and establish strong penalties for violations.
Earlier this month, Goldman also signed on to the ‘Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act,’ which would place safeguards and limitations on the sale of ammunition over the internet and the ‘Default Proceed Sale Transparency Act’ to address the 'Charleston Loophole,’ which allows some gun sales to be completed without a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check.
Congressman Goldman is a Vice Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and is Chair of the Dads Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.
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