plaintiffs have filed two different lawsuits challenging this law and moved for a preliminary injunction. The district court in the Eastern District of California denied plaintiffs’ motion, finding that they were unlikely to prevail on their claims. Set to go into effect July 1, 2017, Proposition 63 aims to prevent further mass atrocities caused by those in possession of large capacity magazines and seeking to do harm.“Proposition 63 was overwhelmingly approved by voters to increase public safety and enhance security in a sensible and constitutional way,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Restricting large capacity magazines and preventing them from ending up in the wrong hands is critical for the well-being of our communities. I will defend the will of California voters because we cannot continue to lose innocent lives due to gun violence.”
In recent years, large capacity magazines have been used in mass shootings across the country. In 2016, 49 people lost their lives and another 58 were wounded inside Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 people were severely injured at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. In 2012, 20 children were fatally shot, as well as six adult staff members, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. In 2011, six citizens died and an additional 15 were wounded outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. Each of these horrific incidents were made more traumatic by the existence and use of large capacity magazines. Studies have further concluded that when large capacity magazines are used, the average number of people shot is 2.5 times higher, and the average number of people killed is over 60 percent higher.
Source: CA. DOJ
