Call For Gun Clip Ban Ahead Of SF 101 California Shooting Anniversary
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco's district attorney and police chief are looking for Congress to outlaw handgun clips that hold more than 10 bullets.
The new push comes as the city approaches the 18th anniversary of the worst mass shooting in San Francisco history.
On July 1, 1993, heavily armed gunman Gian Luigi Ferri shot and killed eight people, then himself, in the 101 California Street highrise in San Francisco.
The massacre led to a national ban on assault weapons and high capacity handgun magazines, but that ban expired seven years ago.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
Now, spurred by several recent high-profile shootings involving assault weapons, including one near Tuscon, Arizona in January that seriously injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killed six people, Congress is considering banning those big bullet clips again.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said he would fully support that move.
"I don't believe that there is any reason why a civilized nation like ours should continue to allow these types of weapons and this type of capacity to be out there," Gascon said. "There is no civilian application for this type of weapon."
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said he also wants clips holding 10 bullets or more banned. Gun rights advocates have blocked renewal of the ban in the past.
The legislation, which was introduced in January, is currently being considered by the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.
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