ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A state senator from Orlando has filed legislation to ban high-capacity magazines.
Democrat Linda Stewart promised to do more after the Pulse massacre and the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Stewart has introduced a bill that would ban high-powered magazines.
The hope is that banning high-powered magazines would make it harder for mass shooters to fire so many rounds in such a short time.
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“If you don’t want to ban the AR or AK, you might be willing to reduce the amount of rounds a high capacity magazine might have," Stewart said.
Stewart said that large capacity magazines hold more than 10 rounds.
She cited the Giffords Law Center, which said large-capacity magazines have been used in all 10 of the deadliest mass shootings in the last 10 years.
In the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, the center said the shooter fired 100 rounds in 10 seconds, and in the 2019 Dayton mass shooting, the attacker fired 41 rounds in less than 30 seconds.
Stewart said forcing a gunman who intends to inflict mass casualties to reload after 10 rounds could buy time for people to escape and for law enforcement officers to move in.
Nine other states and the District of Columbia all have some form of large-capacity magazine restrictions.
“Considering we already have a rule in Fish and Wildlife that says you can only have five for hunting, why don’t we have that restriction on those who are hunting humans?” Stewart said.
Stewart does not yet have a sponsor in the House for the bill, and she will likely introduce another bill that bans specific assault rifles.
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