Good afternoon,
I am writing for two purposes.
One:
I urge you to oppose House Bill 1224, which bans standard capacity magazines.
Two:
There is a lot of misinformation being repeated about some of the mass shootings.
Only one gun used in Columbine could use magazines that held over ten rounds. The guns used by Eric Harris were not even capable of using standard capacity magazines. Yet, despite the fact that his 9mm Hi-Point Carbine could only use 10 round magazines, he still managed to fire that gun a total of 96 times, which required him to reload the gun a total of ten times.
The shotgun used by Harris was a traditional double-barreled hunting shotgun that can only hold a total of two rounds. Despite having a gun that could only hold two rounds, he fired that gun 25 times, which required him to reload the gun at least 12 times.
By comparison, Klebold only fired his Tec 9 "assault weapon" 55 times. Klebold's shotgun only held four or five rounds total, yet he managed to fire that gun 12 times, which means he would have had to reload at least four times.
SOURCE:
http://columbine-online.com/attack/columbine-attack-weapons-guns-knives-rifle-shotguns-tec-9.htm
Regarding the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, the shooter, Jared Loughner was not stopped in the midst of a reload, rather he was stopped after his gun jammed. While even a rank amateur can learn to reload a handgun in a couple of seconds, it takes much longer to fix a gun that has malfunctioned.
SOURCE:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/09/nation/la-na-0110-gabrielle-giffords-20110110
Please stop repeating the claims that these shootings, or any of the other attempted mass shootings would have been less deadly if the shooter only had a bag full of 10 round magazines.
Furthermore, 1224 could result in a fine of up to $1,000 or a year in prison for the mere possession of a metal box with a spring in it.
This bill will do nothing to prevent, stop, or even slow the next lunatic who attempts a mass shooting. I urge you to oppose this bill in the strongest of terms.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Justin Otis
El Paso County