Four days after a gunman in Las Vegas killed 58 people and injured 489 others with an automatic rifle, two New Jersey lawmakers have once again introduced legislation that would ban the civilian possession of .50 caliber weapons.

The bill was introduced by Sens. Nia Gill and Richard Codey, both Democrats from Essex County.

Similar legislation was approved by the Legislature in 2013 following the Sandy Hook shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, but Gov. Chris Christie ended up vetoing the bill.

“Highly-powerful .50 caliber weapons are made for war, and have no place in civilian society. If ever there was a time to have a serious conversation about the gun laws in our state and nation, it is now,” Gill said in a statement. “Congress must take action on common-sense gun violence prevention legislation that for too long has languished in Washington. However, as we do on so many issues, states should be leading the way. New Jersey should start now by banning .50 caliber weapons that are built and used on the battlefields.”

“There is no rational argument that can be made for keeping these firearms on our streets. These long-range weapons have the ability to pierce armor, and to strike mobile targets including aircraft and speeding boats at an extensive distance,” said Codey. “It made no sense from a policy standpoint for Governor Christie to veto this bill. In the wake of the tragic shooting that took place in Las Vegas, elected officials at all levels have to get serious about addressing gun violence. Ridding our communities of weapons that belong in the hands of trained military personnel is a step that people of all political stripes should be able to get behind.”

Christie's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday, however, he called legislators calling for new gun control laws “Pollyanna politicians” attempting to take advantage of a tragedy. No law, he said, could have prevented the Las Vegas shootings.

In vetoing the previous measure in September 2013, Christie, a Republican, said in a letter that the initial proposal was more limited in scope, but that the bill he received from the Legislature was “well beyond that recommendation and would instead criminalize the ownership of a whole class of firearms that are technically capable of firing any ammunition of 50 caliber or greater. Indeed, this legislation would ban many of the firearms currently and lawfully used by competitive marksmen for long-range precision target shooting[.]”

The Las Vegas gunman, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, opened fire late Sunday night from a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. In the hotel room, where Paddock was later found dead, police found 34 guns and said many had been turned into fully automatic weapons. Paddock had 12 “ bump-fire” stocks, which are used to convert semiautomatic guns, like an AR-15, into a rapid-fire weapons, the FBI said.