Hopefully some good will come from this, for example...

[R13]

Washington (CNN) - Accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner opened fire with a gun using a magazine holding up to 30 bullets before he was tackled while trying to reload.

Some Democrats in Congress argue such high capacity magazines should not be legal, and are renewing their push for a ban.

"That enabled him to do the kind of damage that he did. There is no earthly reason for these weapons to have that kind of bullet capacity," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey.

In 1994, President Clinton signed an assault weapons ban that made high capacity ammunition magazines like the one Loughner allegedly used illegal. But the ban lapsed in 2004 without much of a fight.

Senior Democrats who had been front and center pushing gun control in the 1980s and 90s concluded it was bad politics.

In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore campaigned aggressively for what he called "common sense gun safety measures."

After Gore lost his home state of Tennessee and West Virginia, Democratic strategists argued they were forfeiting critical votes in rural America by advocating stricter gun laws; many Democrats are still wary of the issue.

"Gun control is probably not a winning issue," said Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who is known as a liberal, but supports gun rights.

That's why even in the Senate, where Democrats still have control, senior Democratic sources say gun control legislation is not likely to go anywhere.

"We're going to focus on fights we can win," said one senior Democratic source.
The reality is that well before Republicans took control of the House, pro-gun forces had gained ground.

A Democratic Congress passed measures that allowed firearms in national parks, and in luggage on Amtrak.

Last year, House Democratic leaders pulled legislation giving the District of Columbia voting rights, because gun rights advocates had the votes to add a provision that would have overturned some D.C. gun restrictions.

"We are a pro-gun Congress, and have been for a while," says a House Democratic leadership aide.

Still, in the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting spree, Congress did act to strengthen states' reporting requirements on gun background checks.

Gun control advocates are trying to seize the moment again, and are pushing Democratic leaders to, in their words, show leadership on the issue.

Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign is already walking the halls of Congress lobbying the Senate to take up Lautenberg's legislation banning high capacity magazines, and a companion bill from Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-New York, is in the House.

"It has directly involved a member of Congress, it involved a congressional staffer who is now dead, it involved a federal judge who is now dead, a nine year old who is dead ? I think when it hits that close to home, hopefully folks on the Hill will wake up," Helmke told CNN in a Capitol Hill interview.

But opposition appears insurmountable.

Lawmakers like Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, insist high capacity magazines are "already out there," and passing a ban would be pointless.

"Bad guys are going to get guns, they're going to get clips and they're going to do bad things because that's what their intention is. We should not divert our attention from what the real problem was here. We had an individual who has expressed violent intent who clearly had some mental instability along the way," said Rogers.

"Getting into a debate ? should it be three rounds or eight rounds or 30 rounds is irrelevant. The fact that they?re going to have access to firearms and we still have the second amendment in the United States," said Rogers.

When asked what the chances are for any gun legislation to pass Congress, a senior Republican leadership aide replied, "zero."

The National Rifle Association declined to comment on any gun legislation, calling it "inappropriate" right now.

The NRA?s statement simply said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this senseless tragedy, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and their families during this difficult time. We join the rest of the country in praying for the quick recovery of those injured."

New gun control legislation in Congress unlikely – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

[Monkeyhead]

That will solve anything.

1. high capacity clips were never against the law to have, and they were easily found.

2. Criminals never obey the law, that is why they are called criminals.

3. Takes a real snake to attack a positon like this during this time.



"Not directing this toward you R13, just making general statements"

[R13]

The clips shouldn't be legal, there's no reason to have it, other than to shoot someone or do something like this. It's not used for hunt, it's not necessary for protection.

Let's not make it too easy for them because some want to have the coolest toys.

It takes a tragedy like this change laws for the good, sadly.

[Monkeyhead]

the clips will still be around so how would it really change? You can't stop other countries from making them. As long as there is a black market they will be available.

On a side note many law abiding citizens already have these clips and use them for fun on the range, and a few I know have them ready for use in their homes for protection.

[R13]

Cocaine is still around, but should we throw them in convenient stores? They'll be available, but not easily accessible and that would go a long way.

Technically he was a law-abiding citizen too. Like I said, just because some like to have neat tools, doesn't mean they need to be legal. If you can't fend off someone with a normal size clip, you don't need a gun in the first place. The stretched the amendment enough.

[Monkeyhead]

Cocaine is an illegal activity which is not that hard to find, proves my point. Why blame the gun or tools? Why not blame the person? Why blame people like myself and others who are out doing no harm to others?

Also who says only one clip is enough? There may be a case of more than a few attackers at a time, better to have more than just be another dead body.

[R13]

I would never know where to go about finding it if I wanted, but if it were in stores, I'd know then...same thing with this, maybe he wouldn't either and would have saved some lives. No one has blamed anyone, there's just no reason for hunting or protection to have add ons like that or many assault-weapons.

Then buy more clips, but extended clips like he had that held 31(i believe), there's no use for that other than to shoot someone.

[Monkeyhead]

Reloading is easier said than done, having bullets tossed your way make you a little uneasy. When my dad was on the PD one guy he knew of got shot because he was reloading in a shootout and put the spent cartridges back in his gun. Needless to say he is no longer alive.

[R13]

We're talking about the general public too, not an officer or the military, the general public has no use for them.

[Monkeyhead]

Who's to say they we will never be invaded by another country. I would like my chances with more ammo loaded and ready to go than waiting around on someone else to come rescue me.