In the wake of the Clackamas mall shootings, Oregon state Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, on Wednesday launched an effort to round up support for legislation to ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines.

In an email to colleagues seeking co-sponsors for a bill she plans to introduce for the 2013 legislative session, Burdick wrote:

Burdick said she introduced similar legislation in 2011 but was unable to get a hearing on the bill. She said the Clackamas shootings -- along with a spate of other shootings involving a gunman able to rapidly fire a large number of shots -- might lead to more political support for her proposal.

More

"I'm not saying this will end gun violence," said Burdick. "But if people can't go waltzing into a gun shop and buy a 50-round magazine, I think that is a positive step."

The draft of Burdick's bill would ban gun clips containing more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Burdick said she didn't think there was a legitimate use for average citizens to have higher capacity clips, and she said in her email to colleagues:

Burdick has been a longtime proponent of gun control legislation. Along with Oregon sheriffs, she sponsored a 2000 initiative approved by Oregon voters that required background checks on purchasers at gun shows. She sponsored the initiative after she fell just short of getting the Oregon Legislature to pass a similar bill.

UPDATE: Lobbyists for gun owners blasted Burdick and said they didn't think limiting the size of gun clips would have any value.

"There's no particular reason to pick a number of rounds a person should have," said Kevin Starrett of the Oregon Firearms Federation. He said that if these restrictions were adopted, shooters could still use multiple clips or weapons. He noted that high capacity magazines would also still remain in wide circulation.

Paul Phillips, who represents the Oregon Gun Owners, a group that is more open to some gun restrictions, also said he didn't this approach would reduce violence.

Phillips also accused Burdick of "unbelievable political opportunism" in trying to promote herself in the wake of "this tragic act."

--Jeff Mapes