Philly City council member calls on Pa. lawmakers to restrict sale of large-capacity magazines

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On Thursday, Philadelphia city council members voted unanimously on a resolution to take action on gun safety. They’re calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 200.

Last week, Councilmember at-large Dr. Nina Ahmad introduced the measure.

She expressed outrage over the mass shooting on October 19th that injured seven people, including a 16-year-old girl, in Fotterall Square in North Philadelphia. The teenager was shot in the chest and remains hospitalized.

Police said the shooting incident stemmed from an argument between two men who attended an “Instagram” party” in the 1100 block of West Cumberland Street. Officers said when people started to leave the party, the shooter came back and opened fire.

Investigators recovered a weapon along with two .45 caliber bullets, 21 .40 caliber bullets, and 34 9mm bullets from the scene.

“If this law had been passed, that lone gunman could not have fired 50 rounds of ammunition; that just wouldn’t have happened,” said Dr. Nina Ahmad in an interview with WHYY News.

Dr. Ahmad described gun violence in Philadelphia as a public health crisis.

“We’re gonna attack it from every different perspective, whether it’s limiting how much damage you do, whether it’s making sure we are tracking these guns and how they’re passing through the illegal channels,.” Ahmad said.

The proposed bill, which passed in the Pa. state House, would ban 150 assault-style weapons and the sale of gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. The bill is currently awaiting approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

State Senator Art Haywood (D-4) is one of the bill’s sponsors.

“SB 200 is one of several bills stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee that, if passed, would have a profound impact on gun violence across the Commonwealth. Polls have shown time and time again that the majority of Pennsylvanians are in favor of stronger gun laws.” Sen. Haywood said. “I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to listen to the people and call up this commonsense legislation for a vote. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans have stood in the way, refusing to act.”

WHYY News reached out to state Senator Lisa Baker (R-20), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee for comment. Her Chief of Staff, Jennifer Wilson, said in an email that Senator Baker was out of town and unavailable.

Fourteen states have prohibited high-capacity magazines.

At a recent rally in Philadelphia, Shannon Watts with Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting to protect people from gun violence, said 90% of Americans support gun reform.

“So I think it’s just so important to keep in mind that our rights have been protected and yet we have managed to begin to regulate guns,” Watts said. “Those two things can coexist hand in hand.”

Dr. Ahmad is also the Public Health Committee Chair and a member of the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.