It seems clear that the man accused of committing the Tucson massacre is severely mentally ill. It also should be clear that he should not have been able to purchase the weapon he used. Had President Clinton's Assault Weapons Ban not been allowed to expire, he wouldn't have:
The high-capacity magazine of the semiautomatic pistol used in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and more than a dozen other people on Saturday would have been illegal to manufacture and difficult to purchase under the Clinton-era assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
According to police and media reports, the alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, legally purchased a semiautomatic Glock 19 with a high-capacity magazine in November at a gun store in Tucson. Under the assault weapons ban, it was illegal to manufacture or sell new high-capacity magazines, defined as those that hold more than 10 rounds. The magazines used by Loughner had 31 rounds each, according to police.
According to reports, heroes Patricia Maisch, Bill Badger, Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zimudie disarmed the suspect and wrestled him to the ground as he was attempting to reload the gun's massive magazine.
If Loughner had been using a traditional magazine, "it would have drastically reduced the number of shots he got off before he had to pause, unload and reload -- and he could have been stopped," Daniel Vice, senior attorney at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, tells Salon.
Responsible gun owners should not feel threatened or overly burdened by responsible gun laws.