April 28, 2011
Reform cites Giffords shooting in urging clip ban
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The Reform movement cited the attack that seriously wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others in urging Congress to ban high-capacity ammunition clips.
“The clips can hold 30, 50 or even 100 rounds, enabling shooters to cause serious casualties before needing to reload,” read the letter that Rabbi David Saperstein, the director of the movement’s Religious Action Center, sent to all members of Congress.
Saperstein cited the case of Jared Lee Loughner, who allegedly shot Giffords (D-Ariz.), a Jewish lawmaker, in Tucson on Jan. 8.
“The shooter in Tucson was able to fire 32 bullets in only 16 seconds, and was only able to be subdued by bystanders when he was forced to stop and change magazines,” the letter said. “Disasters like this could be greatly mitigated if we remove high capacity ammunition clips from our streets.”
Saperstein was endorsing a bill introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in the weeks following the Tucson shooting. All of the measure’s 11 sponsors are Democrats and six are Jewish.
