Giffords Law Center Hails Colorado Supreme Court for Upholding Ban on Large-Capacity Magazines

June 29, 2020 — Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence today applauded the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision upholding the state’s ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines (LCMs). The ban was adopted in 2013 in response to the role that LCMs played in increasing the number of victims in the mass shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and the Aurora movie theater in 2012.

Hannah Shearer, Litigation Director, Giffords Law Center:

“There’s a tragic reason that large-capacity magazines are the weapon of choice for mass shooters aiming to carry out rapid-fire massacres. They increase casualty counts and reduce the time victims have to escape. The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision adds to the growing list of state and federal courts that find restricting these devices saves lives without compromising self-defense.

“As the Court recognized, ‘the right to bear arms is not an unlimited right.’ This stands in direct contrast to the extreme positions adopted by gun-lobby challengers, under which any regulation of firearms poses a constitutional problem. The Court rejected extremism in favor of the gun safety laws a majority of Americans and Coloradans overwhelmingly support.”