Dick Cheney: 'Maybe It's Appropriate' To Limit Gun Magazine Size (VIDEO)

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a stalwart Second Amendment rights activist and notorious hunter, appeared to open the door to some form of future gun-control legislation in a recent interview with NBC News.

In the wake of the tragedy in Tucson, Ariz., NBC's Jamie Gangel asked Cheney how he felt about a new push aimed at firearm restrictions, which have run the gamut from a bill prohibiting them near legislators to an effort to ban high-capacity magazines. Cheney, a longtime friend of the National Rifle Association, perhaps surprisingly seemed at least somewhat receptive to the latter.

"I'd certainly be willing to listen to ideas. I have always been a gun advocate, obviously had a strong voting record on behalf of the Second Amendment. That's just what I believe, and whether or not there's some measure there in terms of limiting the size of the magazine that you can buy to go with semi-automatic weapons -- we've had that in place before," the former vice president said, referring to the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. "Maybe it's appropriate to reestablish that kind of thing, but I think you do have to be careful, obviously."

High-capacity magazines were allowed back onto the market when the ban was allowed to sunset in 2004, after being signed into law by President Bill Clinton as a 10-year measure.

GOP Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.) stood against much of his own party last week when he voiced support for legislation that would serve to reinstate such a ban.

WATCH:

Comments

[vdunn33]

03:40 PM on 02/20/2011

isn't this the pig that only needed one shell to do his dirty work a while back
Update: This won't help the firing squad Dick...they are still gonna get you one way or another.

[johnny g locker]

03:33 PM on 02/01/2011

Let's limit free speech to ten words per day.

[hagenjr]

11:36 PM on 01/30/2011

We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
Ronald Reagan

[Roy Merritt old car guy]

10:24 AM on 01/20/2011

We already have magazine regulations on shotguns because of waterfowl restrictions so why not limit the size of magazines on all guns to 10 shots. That is enough for any home protection and hunting, if you can't hit the target with 10 shots then you need to pratice more. 30 shot magazines are nothing more than a way to kill alot of people without reloading.

[Rooster Coburn]

11:36 AM on 01/20/2011

Lets make all gun control laws apply to police and military forces used domestically. After all, they deserve the best protection we can give them, and if gun control will help keep us safe just imagine how safe it will keep them, since they have guns around all the time.

[Dimensio]

11:39 AM on 01/20/2011

We already have magazine regulations on shotguns because of waterfowl restrictions so why not limit the size of magazines on all guns to 10 shots.

 Ten rounds of ammunition is substantially lower than the standard capacity of many firearm model magazines.  For what reason would you decide to restrict firearm magazines to such a capacity?  For what reason would you instead not propose a limitation of fifteen rounds of ammunition or of eight rounds of ammunition?

30 shot magazines are nothing more than a way to kill alot of people without reloading.

As the majority of such magazines in the United States are not utilized for such a purpose, your assertion is demonstrably incongruent with reality.

[GraniteSkyline]

10:23 AM on 01/20/2011

I find it interesting that there have been other mass shooting and afterward there have been pleas for gun-control that were either ignored or rallied against by members of Congress. But this time there was an assassination attempt against a member of Congress, and suddenly many Congressmen who in the past have been vehemently against even the slightest gun-control, are suddenly for new gun control laws.

They realized that it could have been them in the hospital--or the morgue. So now they changed their minds.

[danivers]

10:01 AM on 01/20/2011

I'd like to hear how an NRA member spins this one. The far right just got smacked down by it's most holy living patron saint. I'm sure I could find out if I turned on the TV to that channel, but it ain't worth it.

Four Loko ... banned. Cigarette smoking in public ... banned. But guns? More public rights every year.

That makes sense.

[towed]

09:29 AM on 01/20/2011

too bad the appropriate magazine size in your hunting rifle didn't have 0 cartridge capability..
your friend would not have been hit in the face by your drunken mis-shot...

[teabagflush]

08:59 AM on 01/20/2011

Just maybe, Mr. Cheney???

[Desolati0n]

07:50 AM on 01/20/2011

The family guy skit with Dick Cheney in the woods with Peter comes to mind when I'm reading this article.

[DeanAdams]

06:23 AM on 01/20/2011

This is clear evidence that Cheney has already received a heart transplant.

[Kevin Tuma]

08:37 PM on 01/21/2011

From a baboon.

[duxguts]

05:58 AM on 01/20/2011

If Cheney didn't say this from inside a jail cell I don't wanna know about it.

[Shawna Spaulding]

02:21 AM on 01/20/2011

When you got a person who shot some one, saying maybe we should restore the ban I think that it may be something to ride home about....

[yetiwatcher]

02:03 AM on 01/20/2011

said the man who is all about torture and outed a CIA agent
go back to Wyoming, Cheney

even when I agree with what he says, I don't need to hear him say it
the man is basically unfit to interact with the rest of the populace

[Drewry]

10:37 PM on 01/19/2011

I too agree on limitations with tis subject.

http://www.DrewryNewsNetwork.com/technology

http://www.DrewryNewsNetwork.com/oil-gas

[m1jones]

08:32 PM on 01/19/2011

Any sign of flexibility in Dick Cheney on gun control is welcome. He came out in favor of some gay rights including repealing DADT partly because his own daughter is a lesbian. It would be very helpful if he took a stand favoring any progress on limited assault gun attacks.