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State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (,D-Bergen) will push for tougher New Jersey gun laws following the Orlando shootings.

(NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

TRENTON -- In the wake of the nation's deadliest mass shooting, Democratic state lawmakers will re-introduce legislation that would reduce the maximum number of rounds legally allowed in a gun's magazine from 15 bullets to 10, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), who had co-sponsored an effort to do the same in 2014 with state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex), told NJ Advance Media this will be part of a package of bills Democrats will push.

Weinberg and Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester) have scheduled a 12:45 p.m. news conference at the Statehouse on gun safety.

Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed similar legislation in 2014, calling it "the very embodiment of reform in name only" and said an "entirely arbitrary" limit defied "common sense."

In his veto, the governor argued that it was not "sufficient to claim that a ten-round capacity might spare an eleventh victim."

A 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice that examined mass shootings during the time of the federal assault weapons ban found that while assault weapons often are used in mass shootings, any gun with a large capacity magazine, where more bullets can be fired quickly, resulted in more victims.

While the gun lobby has recently strenuously opposed efforts to limit magazine capacity in Congress, it wasn't always against the idea.

In March 30, 1989, firearms manufacturer Strum, Ruger & Co.'s co-founder William Ruger sent a letter to every member of Congress arguing for "a simple, complete and unequivocal ban on large capacity magazines."

It's unclear if Democrats would have the votes to override an expected veto by Christie.

Earlier this morning about 2 a.m., however, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate leadership yielded to Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut's 14-hour long filibuster calling for a vote on universal background checks for purchases and a ban on selling guns to those on terror watch lists.

Christie has in recent months sought to expand access to guns for all New Jerseyans, even as Democrats have tried to further restrict it.

In March, Christie vetoed a Democratic bill that would further restrict access to firearms by convicted domestic abusers and those already under restraining orders for domestic violence.

In his veto of the March bill, the governor suggested that instead of taking guns away from such offenders that Democrats rewrite the bill to expedite the permit process for domestic abuse victims seeking guns for their own protection.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.