WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) Eighteen US states have filed a brief defending a law approved by the state of Vermont that prohibits large capacity magazines in rifles and handguns in an attempt to reduce deaths from gun violence, New York state Attorney General Letitia James announced in a press release on Tuesday.
"The states filed an amicus brief in State of Vermont v. Max B. Misch, a suit in which the Vermont Supreme Court will determine whether Vermont's prohibition on large-capacity magazines violates the Vermont Constitution's right to bear arms," the release said.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn a 2018 Vermont law that prohibits the manufacture, importation, possession, and sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition for long guns and more than 15 rounds for handguns, the release said.
The brief argues that Vermont's limits on magazines is a reasonable restriction because a provision in the US Constitution allowing private gun ownership does not prevent states from enacting common-sense gun safety measures.
Restricting access to large-capacity magazines is a reasonable restriction because it would reduce firearm injuries and deaths while leaving many other options open for individuals who wish to exercise their right to self-defense with guns, the release said.
A spate of mass shootings in the United States has increased pressure on politicians to enact tougher gun laws, however, gun rights group continue to battle new restrictions, fearing that firearms opponents want to eventually outlaw private ownership.
