Bill Limiting Gun Magazines to 15 Rounds Keeps Moving - NOCO5 – News, Weather, and Sports for Northern Colorado

Bill Limiting Gun Magazines to 15 Rounds Keeps Moving

Posted: Updated:

DENVER -- Today, the Senate Judiciary committee voted 3 to 2 to prohibit military-like magazines from Colorado neighborhoods. The legislation prohibits the sale, transfer, or possession of large-capacity magazines beginning in July. It defines large-capacity ammunition magazines as magazines with more than 15 rounds or eight shotgun shells.

"We know that military-like magazines allow killers to attack a group of people in a fell swoop. The fact is, large -capacity magazines are intended for one purpose: to kill a large number of people quickly. The average Coloradan who has a firearm to protect his or her family does not need large-capacity magazines. This legislation strikes a balance between keeping Coloradans safe and protecting Second Amendment rights," said Sen. Mary Hodge (D-Brighton), the sponsor of House Bill 13-1224, along with Rep. Fields in the House of Representatives.

The legislation specifically exempts police, as well as people who have continuously possessed large-capacity magazines before the effective date. To help track the magazines and see the law through, the legislation also requires Colorado manufactures to put a date on magazines.

The committee also amended the legislation today to further define what a large capacity magazine is, particularly to address questions over high capacity magazines for shotguns.

Large-capacity magazines were prohibited under federal law from 1994 to 2004 under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, prohibiting more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Since then, Coloradans are permitted to have an unnumbered amount of large-capacity magazines. In fact, Coloradans can acquire more large-capacity magazines than are given to troops at war. At any given time, troops fighting in Iraq carry about seven magazines with 30 rounds each.

Six states and Washington D.C. have laws prohibiting the transfer of large-capacity ammunition magazines; Colorado would be the seventh state.

HB 13-1224 now goes to the Senate for a second-reading vote.