Washington Assault Weapons Ban In Effect Immediately

Washington has joined the growing list of blue states in a mad rush to tighten gun laws ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Gov. Jay Inslee signed three new gun control bills on April 25 that will, among other things, immediately institute a Washington assault weapons ban.

Inslee’s strong anti-gun rhetoric echoes that of the Biden administration and congressional democrats who are blaming popular firearms like the AR-15 for horrendous, violent criminal acts that have been filling U.S. news feeds. 

“No one needs an AR-15 to protect your family,” Inslee said at an April 25 press conference. “You only need it to kill other families.”

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What’s in the New Washington Gun Ban Laws

“Assault Weapons” Ban Upon passage, SHB 1240 immediately banned the sale and manufacture of guns that met Washington’s definition of assault weapons. Over 60 firearms were explicitly named, including “AK-47 in all forms” and “AR15, M16, or M4 in all forms.”

The law also bans most semiautomatic firearms — whether they be rifles, pistols, or shotguns — designed to work with detachable magazines.

Washington residents who acquired such guns prior to the ban will be allowed to keep them, i.e. they will be grandfathered into the new law. 

The List

10-day waiting period for all firearm purchases and mandatory safety training In 2018, Washington voters approved a measure to require a 10-day waiting period when purchasing semiautomatic rifles. E2SHB 1143 extends that requirement to all guns.

It also requires buyers to prove they have completed an approved safety class before the firearms can be legally transferred.

New legal guidelines for gun dealers and manufacturers SB 5078 expands legal liabilities for firearm retailers and manufacturers that knowingly sell products that contribute a “public nuisance” of gun violence, such as promoting products used to convert a legal gun or accessory into something illegal or marketing firearms to children.

The law empowers the state Attorney General to enforce the policy. Like the weapons ban, this bill is begging for a legal challenge.

Two additional bills were signed into law in Washington, one creating a 10-day waiting period for all firearm purchases and another that makes it easier for gun manufacturers to be sued for crimes committed with their products. The timing of the legislation follows prominent mass shooting events in Nashville,  Louisville, and Texas.

Gun rights proponents are vowing to fight the ban. Before the ink from Inslee’s pen was dry on the Washington bills, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and several other groups announced legal challenges. 

In a conversation with Free Range American, Mark Oliva, managing director of public affairs for the NSSF pointed to recent Supreme Court rulings as precedent for his organization’s arguments. 

“Heller holds that firearms that are commonly owned are protected by the Second Amendment. Bruen holds that the only test for whether a gun control law is Constitutional is the Second Amendment,” Oliva said. “Basic understanding of those two amendments and [related] cases clearly shows that this law in Washington is unconstitutional.”

And he’s not the only one making this argument against similar state-level gun bans. Enforcement of Illinois’ recently adopted AWB was temporarily halted by a judge who granted an injunction until the constitutionality of the law can be determined. Sweeping gun control measures were stymied in the Colorado state legislature and failed to pass even after they were thoroughly gutted. 

The NSSF estimates about 24,446,000 AR-style firearms have been purchased by civilians in the U.S. since 1990, an increase of over 4.5 million rifles since the last estimate was released in 2020. Many would say that certainly fits the definition of “in common use.” 

With anti-gun rhetoric heating up at the national level, and the flurry of gun-related bills making news in other states, the gun debate and associated legal challenges are bound to take a front-row seat during the upcoming election cycle.

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It’s Not Just the Right Concerned About the Washington Assault Weapons Ban

It isn’t only conservative gun owners in Washington who are opposed to and concerned by the constitutional implication of these new gun control laws and how they impact the Second Amendment. Some left-leaning residents have expressed opposition to the gun control crackdown, too, and the reason for that opposition highlights the bizarre cultural divide polarizing the nation.

Some left-leaning residents have taken to social media with concerns that they will be prevented from buying firearms to defend themselves now and in the future, while believing that those who they might have to defend themselves against are already armed with grandfathered firearms. 

George (no last name given), a 40-year-old resident and a lifelong Democrat, told Vice News that, while he supports other gun safety measures signed into law by Inslee, he is nervous about the gun ban. 

“This is […] the worst time to unilaterally disarm a population of left-minded individuals,” he said. “These next five or 10 years might decide the fate of America, and when the music stops and the next January 6 happens and we’re all scrambling to find a chair, I’m worried that the fascists will be the ones with all the guns.”

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