Justin
Moderator Emeritus
In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, I've been going back and doing some reading on previous spree shootings. One of the documents I'm working my way through is the Virginia Tech Review Panel's Report on the Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech. (You can download the report here:
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/tempcontent/techpanelreport.cfm )
The report is quite comprehensive, covering a history of Seung Hui Cho, his mental problems, Virginia Tech's security protocols at the time of the shooting, a timeline of the shooting, and how Cho acquired his guns.
As you might recall, Cho committed his crimes with a Glock 19 and a Walther P22. He purchased and subsequently used numerous magazines for both guns, including several 15-round magazines for the Glock 19.
On page 87 of the PDF I came across the following bombshell:
So there it is.
In an official 260 page review conducted jointly between the Virginia Governor's office and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the official stance is that a magazine ban would have made little to no difference in the outcome of the shooting.
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/tempcontent/techpanelreport.cfm )
The report is quite comprehensive, covering a history of Seung Hui Cho, his mental problems, Virginia Tech's security protocols at the time of the shooting, a timeline of the shooting, and how Cho acquired his guns.
As you might recall, Cho committed his crimes with a Glock 19 and a Walther P22. He purchased and subsequently used numerous magazines for both guns, including several 15-round magazines for the Glock 19.
On page 87 of the PDF I came across the following bombshell:
The panel also considered whether the previous federal Assault Weapons Act of 1994 that banned 15-round magazines would have made a difference inthe April 16 incidents. The law lapsed after 10 years, in October 2004, and had banned clips or magazines with over 10 rounds. The panel concluded that 10-round magazines that were legal would have not made much difference in the incident. Even pistols with rapid loaders (ed. I think they are referring to revolver speed loaders here) could have been about as deadly in this situation.
So there it is.
In an official 260 page review conducted jointly between the Virginia Governor's office and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the official stance is that a magazine ban would have made little to no difference in the outcome of the shooting.