(CNN) The speed with which a gunman killed nine people and injured dozens more in Dayton, Ohio, cast a spotlight not only on the firearm, but the large capacity ammunition magazines that enabled him to unload 41 rounds in 30 seconds.

Nothing in Connor Betts' past precluded him from obtaining the firearm and ammunition he used in the early Sunday massacre, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.

Betts legally obtained the .223 caliber high-capacity rifle and 100-round drum magazine that was attached to the firearm during the shooting, Biehl said. In total, Betts had 250 rounds in his possession, raising fears about how many more lives might have been lost if officers patrolling nearby had not intervened as soon as they did, killing Betts.

Dayton police released photos of the weapon and drum magazines used in the attack.

Biehl called it "fundamentally problematic" for the gunman to have such a high "level of weaponry in a civilian environment, unregulated." But only nine states have laws banning large-capacity ammunition magazines, and Ohio is not one of them.

Large capacity magazines enable shooters to fire repeatedly without having to reload. They have been a recurring feature in some of the country's deadliest shootings, from Columbine High School in 1999 to Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

Read More