One of the safest yet deadliest tools available to the common man, guns have shown to be protectors in times of need and killers in the hands of wrongdoers. A newly proposed bill, House File 163 aims to limit the ability of criminals to commit crime by limiting the maximum amount of ammunition that a magazine can contain. Due to the gravity of the subject, many Iowans agree that limiting magazine size and gun use is the answer, while others argue that this is unconstitutional and will prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves. With the passing of Iowa House File 163, Iowa would no longer allow magazines with a capacity larger than ten rounds of ammunition, which is supported and opposed by nearly equal numbers of Iowans.
In opposition of magazines capable of holding ten or more rounds of ammunition, a bill has been introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives proposing to “prohibit the sale or transfer of large capacity ammunition feeding devices” (House File 163). Viewed as extremely dangerous, large capacity magazines that can hold up to hundreds of rounds of ammunition increase a shooter’s ability to injure and kill large numbers of victims quickly, as they allow the individual to fire continuously without needing to reload (Law Center). In the United States alone, more than half of all public shootings contained the use of a magazine that holds more than ten rounds of ammunition (Follman). During the Sandy Hook school shooting, when Adam Lanza, armed with an AR-15 assault rifle and thirty-round magazines stopped to reload his weapon, eleven children were able to run to safety, avoiding the unlucky fate of twenty of their classmates and six of their teachers (Board). Democratic Senator of Connecticut, Christo...
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In Colorado where twelve people where killed legislature has combated this with tougher background checks and limiting all magazines soled to a ten round capacity limit.according to politics/policy after Colorado enforc...
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An estimated 30,000 people are killed each year by guns in the United States alone according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s). Though there have been some restrictions and laws placed, both the conservative and liberal sides are not pleased with either the lack of action or the fact that there has been too much action that has taken place. “About 38% of U.S. households and 26% of individuals owned at least one gun, with about half of the individuals having 4 or more guns, according to a 2004 survey by the Harvard School of Public Health (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s).” Both sides turn to the one document centered on the argument for evidence to support their side: the Second Amendment.
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“A handgun ban is not realistically enforceable. Confiscating guns would require house-to-house searches and alienate the very individuals whose compliances is essential to the success of any regulation. If gun ownership were prohibited, organized crime would step in to provide the firearms that will continue to be procured with criminal intent” (Done Kates). Over the past decade, the media has reported an increase in the severity of violent crimes as individuals have killed and hurt many others, including kids. Since 2006 there have been over 200 mass murders in the United States. Between 2006 and 2011 alone, the FBI has counted over 172 cases of mass killings, not including those unreported from different police agencies to the FBI (“Murders
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