A custom made semi-automatic hunting rifle with a large capacity detachable magazine is on display at the 2013 TDS Guns in Rocklin, California.
AP
House lawmakers voted on party lines late Wednesday night to ban assault weapons in the state of Washington.
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The bill was sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, and co-sponsored by 25 other Democratic lawmakers. Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson requested the legislation.
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The bill will now head to the Senate for consideration.
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If passed by the Senate and signed by Inslee, the legislation would go into effect immediately. Two amendments sponsored by House Republicans during the floor debate Wednesday would have delayed that date, but neither amendment was adopted.
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Peterson told House members that he first introduced the legislation under his prime sponsorship after a 2016 shooting in Mukilteo that killed three and wounded another. The shooter used an AR-15.
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“This has been happening in our communities and happening around the state and around the country for far too long,” Peterson said.
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He noted mass shooting statistics in the U.S.
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According to the Gun Violence Archive, 693 mass shootings occurred in 2021. In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings. As of Sunday March 5, 100 mass shootings had been recorded in the U.S. for the 2023 year.
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Peterson said he believes 2023 is on pace to surpass previous years.
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“…We’ve seen the kids walking out of school, we’ve seen the kids amassed on the mall in Washington D.C.,” said Peterson. “We see them, we hear them, we have to pass this legislation.”
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Several House Republicans spoke out against the legislation during the floor debate.
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Rep. Travis Couture from Allyn called firearms the “great equalizer.”
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“You’ve heard tonight some of the stories of rising crime and predators in our community, and these firearms seek to level the playing field for communities all across our state,” Couture said.
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He said he believed the intent section of the proposed legislation was inflammatory against law-abiding gun owners in Washington. He said he also believed the emergency clause for the bill to go into effect immediately after Inslee signs strips away an “important democratic process” for individuals in Washington. Additionally, Couture said, he thinks the bill is unconstitutional.
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House bill 1240 would prohibit the “manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of any assault weapon.” Some exceptions for licensed firearm manufacturers and dealers are baked into the legislation, such as the ability for law enforcement agencies to continue to purchase from firearms dealers and manufacturers.
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Exceptions are included for those who inherit an assault weapon as well, and the bill would not regulate possession for Washingtonians who currently own an assault weapon.
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Violations of the proposed legislation would be a gross misdemeanor, which can include jail time up to 364 days and a fine of no more than $5,000.
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The bill defines assault weapons in several ways including: “semiautomatic rifles with an overall length of less than 30 inches; semiautomatic centerfire rifles with a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds” and “conversion kits and parts that can be used to assemble an assault weapon or convert a firearm into an assault weapon, if the parts are in the possession of or under the control of the same person.”
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Antique firearms would be excluded.
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Wednesday marked an important deadline in the legislative session, as bills needed to be passed from their house of origin in order to continue the bill-making process in the Legislature.
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The legislature adjourns on April 23.
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According to Giffords Law Center, nine other states including Hawaii, California and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, have all passed general assault weapons bans.
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 09:27 AM.
