On December 20 , 2012 , Burns wrote an op-ed column in the '' Los Angeles Times '' calling for a reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban . In the article , Burns described himself as an ardent conservative and gun owner who nonetheless felt there was no " social utility " for high-capacity clips . Besides the 31-round magazine Loughner used in his Glock , Burns cited as examples the 100-round drum magazine used by James Holmes in the 2012 Aurora shooting and the 30-round magazine used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting . Burns called for Congress to reinstate the ban without the grandfather clause of the original ban , which allowed those who already owned a weapon on the banned list to keep it . " If we ca n't find a way to draw sensible lines with guns that balance individual rights and the public interest , " Burns wrote , " we may as well call the experiment with American democracy a failure . "
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Larry Alan Burns