Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration wants to push for legislation that bars high-capacity magazines for handguns and rifles.
“I’m the only guy that ever got passed legislation when I was a senator to make sure we eliminated assault weapons,” Biden said during a CNN event on Wednesday, referring to the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that included a ban on so-called “assault weapons.” “The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon, whether it’s a, whether it’s a 9mm pistol or whether it’s a rifle, is ridiculous.”
“I’m continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things, but I’m not likely to get that done in the near term,” Biden added.
It’s not clear whether Biden meant he wants to ban 9mm pistols or rifles outright or magazines that hold a minimum of 20 rounds. Many firearms have the capacity to use magazines that have fewer than 20 rounds, and in states like California or New York, state law prohibits owning magazines with more than 10 rounds. The 9mm round is also one of the most commonly used rounds in the United States.