Law makers are taking a look at existing gun laws after the incident on Saturday in which Jared Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and six others outside a grocery store in Tuscon, Arizona. They hope to revise some of the existing laws with two new federal bills. (See first coverage of the incident here)
Arizona is currently second in the list of deadliest gun states, and is near the bottom of the list that tallies the weakest gun laws by state.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton managed to pass a 10 year ban on all assault weapons, which included banning high capacity magazines. The law was passed in 1994, and expired 6 years ago in 2004. A high capacity magazine, like the one Loughner used in Arizona, allows the user to fire a large number of bullets before changing clips. Loughner fired 31 shots.
A 2007 poll showed that 82% of people in America were in favor of a ban on all assault weapons.
Tucker Bloxham, gunshop employee in Pocatello, ID, opined that when more people have access to firearms, the crime rate goes down. He continued with, “Per capita we have a lot of guns and a low crime rate. I’m pretty sure that has something to do with it.”
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