OLYMPIA — The Washington House late Friday voted to prohibit the sale, distribution and manufacture of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, marking a major victory for supporters of stricter gun laws as the bill now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.
Senate Bill 5078 not only puts limits on semiautomatic rifles with 20 or 30 rounds, but also for many pistols, which often carry more than 10 rounds.
The legislation does not prohibit the actual possession of such magazines.
The bill’s passage — lawmakers approved it 55-42 in the Democratic-held House — marks perhaps the biggest win at the Legislature in recent years for advocates of gun regulations. Inslee supports the supports the measure, and has described it as “designed to save lives.”
Voters last decade passed a trio of statewide initiatives imposing sweeping firearms restrictions, but ambitious firearms regulations such as limits on magazines have stalled for years in Olympia.
In a floor speech, Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, recounted the mass shooting in 2011 in during an event held by then-U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, for whom Berry worked for at the time. Six people died in that attack, and 13 others, including Giffords, who was shot in the head, were injured.
“Gun violence is preventable, this bill will save lives,” Berry, recounting how one of her friends died in the shooting. “I am voting yes tonight for Gabby, I am voting yes tonight for Dave, and I am voting yes tonight for all the people whose lives are impacted by gun violence in our communities.”
The House vote Friday fell along party lines, with nearly all Democrats voting to support Senate Bill 5078. Republicans voted against it, and in a show of protest, forced the Democrats to spend hours debating amendments to the legislation.
“It is clear that the bill before us now impairs the right of the individual citizen to bear arms,” Rep. Jesse Young, R-Gig Harbor, said during the debate. Young was one of the GOP lawmakers who blocked the limits on magazines two years ago by sponsoring scores of amendments, forcing Democrats to shelve that proposal.
Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, SB 5078 was requested by Attorney General Bob Ferguson. It passed the Senate last month. In a statement issued after the vote, Ferguson said Washington would join nine states that “already restrict high-capacity magazines.”
The legislation includes exceptions to magazine limits for law enforcement and corrections officers, members of the armed forces, Washington’s National Guard, and for licensed firearms dealers that sell to such institutions.
Violations would be a gross misdemeanor, which in Washington can bring up to 364 days in county jail or a maximum fine of $5,000, according to a legislative analysis.
At the same time, the legislation makes the sale or offering for distribution or sale of a prohibited magazine a violation of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
That’s a law used by the Attorney General’s Office, which can — on behalf of state residents — take action on alleged violations of the act to get restitution and civil penalties.
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I so agree with Dan Bongino—the stupidity of the Left is off the charts. Stricter gun laws are not going to foster better judgment among gun users—especially the bad ones and it will do nothing for those with mental problems.
The treachery of the traitorous, socialist Democrat Party know no bounds.
“Gun violence is preventable, this bill will save lives,” ,,,,tell it to the Ukrainians. When the anti-establishment American rebellion finally breaks out, the so-called enlightened Washington politicians will be more crying for ammunition then, than the Democrat unarmed Ukrainians do now, and similarly will look to the Conservative State runs governments to provide them assistance from without to remove the political oppressors from their necks. These American Democrats unlike the Russians in the Ukraine began molesting our women and children decades ago and don’t need a war to destroy American innocence, goodness and freedoms. Those who they seek to destroy, they first disarm and make socially weak and dependent on Democrats, who these days like Biden, don’t have to get shot in the head to become confused, disoriented, and Gabby.
AND As i keep asking. WHAT The hell is the point in making yet MORE NEW LAWS< when the ones already existing, just DON'T GET enforced.. Whether because of LEFTIST DA's, or CAREER CRIMINAL LOVING judges?!
People bent on harm will just buy more guns and more magazines to have them ready, while the law abiding will be hampered in their effcts of self-defense and the protection of their families and others.
One of the two pistols i have, STANDARD comes with two 17 round mags.. SO BY THIS LAW< would stores selling that sort of pistol, no longer be allowed to get sold?
These dead heads in washington should be feeling real good now that they are safe from “gun violence”. When will they pass laws to keep them safe from “automobile violence”?
Furthermore, this title is misleading. This law has NOTHING to do with ammunition, only magazine capacity.
How’s about laws to protect us from LIBTARDS IN OFFICE!
“marking a major victory for supporters of stricter gun laws”. Yep, State of Washington, this is a major victory for antifa and blm, as antifa and blm will still have guns and they can terrorize innocent law abiding people, who will be unarmed!!!
AND Who probably don’t give a Rats BUTT, what the law says, RE GUNS.. ESPECIALLY Since they know the leftist rag of a da and state AG there, will NOT CHARGE THEM as evidenced by ALL THE RIOTERS during 2020/2021, being LET OFF WITHOUT CHARGES….
So, in the minds of the left’s, delusional anti-gun activists, a ten-round limit on a firearm’s cartridge capacity will deter criminals from using their guns to injure or murder a victim but allowing a firearm to have a capacity of eleven or more cartridges will not. Apparently, these gun-grabbing fools don’t realize that after firing ten shots, a criminal can very quickly replace the expended ten-round clip with a fully loaded one. Instead of reducing gun crime, this bill will allow the progressive left to place further restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
Since the left loves whining “PHOTO ID restrictions on voting, Unduly impacts, BLACKS AND OTHER minorities, because they are too STUPID or too poor, to acquire those photo id’s (EVEN THOUGH quite a few states, will allow the poor to GET FREE Photo ID’s, just for identity purposes). WHERE THE HELL ar their howls, about how laws like this, UNDULY impact and Infringe on POOR MINORITIES, constitutional right to own firearms???
Washington State has not held a legal election in decades. The state is controlled by two little blue patches at Olympia and Seattle. Most of the geographical territory in the state is red. We need to split of the free majority of this territory and let the Marxists have their own little communist section.
I fully agree.. AND IF possible, do the same with Oregonistan and Commiefornia..