Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and
ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. In the wake of the
July 20, 2012, Aurora, CO, theater mass shooting, in which 12 people were shot to death and 58
wounded (7 of them critically) by a lone gunman, it is likely that there will be calls in the 112th
Congress to reconsider a 1994 ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity
ammunition feeding devices that expired in September 2004. There were similar calls to ban such
feeding devices (see S. 436/H.R. 1781) following the January 8, 2011, Tucson, AZ, mass
shooting, in which 6 people were killed and 14 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle
Giffords, who was grievously wounded. These calls could be amplified by the August 5, 2012,
Sikh temple shooting in Milwaukee, WI, in which six worshipers were shot to death and three
wounded by a lone gunman.
Cowboy Dreams and Delusions 