A ban on dozens of semi-automatic rifles was approved by the Washington state legislature on Wednesday and is expected to be signed into law by the governor.
High-powered firearms — once banned nationwide — are now the weapons of choice among the young men responsible for most of the nation’s devastating mass shootings.
The ban comes after several failed attempts in the state legislature and the worst mass shooting during the first 100 days of a calendar year since 2009.
The Washington law would block the sale, distribution, manufacture and importation of more than 50 gun models, including AR-15s, AK-47s and similar-style rifles. These guns fire one shot per trigger pull and automatically reload for the subsequent shot. Washington includes some exemptions for sales to law enforcement agencies and the military. The measure does not prohibit the possession of weapons by those who already have them.
The legislation will take effect immediately after being signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who has long advocated for such a ban. When the bill passed the State House in March, Inslee said he believed in it since 1994, when, as a member of the US Congress, he voted to make the ban a federal law.
After the bill passed, Inslee said that Washington state “will not accept gun violence as normal.”
Inslee said that the semi-automatic rifle ban and two other measures approved by the Legislature this session will save lives: one that includes a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and another to fine gun manufacturers for reckless sales. held liable.
Republican state lawmakers oppose the ban, some contend school shootings should be addressed to make buildings less attractive as targets for retrofitting and others say it violates people’s rights. Is.
Sen. Linda Wilson of Vancouver said, “HB 1240 clearly violates our state and federal constitutions, which is why it will be struck down in court immediately.”
The US Congress banning semi-automatic rifles seems far-fetched. But President Joe Biden and other Democrats have risen increasingly to push for stronger gun control — and that’s with no clear electoral consequences.
Nine states, including the District of Columbia as well as California, New York and Massachusetts, have already passed similar bans and the laws have been deemed constitutional by courts, according to Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
In Colorado, lawmakers debated similar gun measures on Wednesday, but a comprehensive ban on semi-automatic firearms faced stiff obstacles.
Lawmakers at the Texas Capitol brushed aside a slate of proposed new gun restrictions without a vote after hours of emotional appeals from Uvalde families whose children were killed last year. The hearing had not concluded till Wednesday morning.
During the debate on the Washington state bill, Democrats repeatedly spoke of mass shootings that have killed people at churches, nightclubs, grocery stores and schools.
Sen. Liz Lovellette of Anacortes said children’s concerns about school shootings need to be addressed.
“They are marching on the streets. They’re asking us to take action,” Lovelette said. “We need to be able to give our kids reasons to feel hopeful.”
Another gun-control bill passed in Washington this session would allow people whose family members die from gun violence if a manufacturer or seller is “irresponsible in handling, storing or selling those weapons.” Under the state’s consumer-protection act, the attorney general can file lawsuits against manufacturers or sellers for negligently allowing their guns to be sold to minors, or for selling them to someone who cannot legally buy guns. Can’t legally sell them. ,
A second bill would require gun buyers to show they’ve taken safety training. It would also impose a 10-day waiting period for all gun purchases – already mandated in Washington when buying a semi-automatic rifle.
Some gun control laws in other states have been struck down since last year’s landmark US Supreme Court ruling, which set new standards for reviewing the nation’s gun laws. The ruling states that the government must justify gun control laws by showing that they are “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)