Washington "Assault Weapon" Ban Signed Into Law

It’s been looming for weeks, but Washington’s big anti-gun push is finally here with three new gun control laws signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, making Washington the 10th state to adopt foolish, draconian “assault-weapon” bans.

The new law makes the sale, import and transfer of 60 named firearms illegal along with AK-47 and AR-15 rifles in “all forms.” Along with the new “assault weapons” ban, Gov. Inslee signed into law a bill that installs a 10-day waiting period to purchase a firearm and another bill that imposes “safety training” on gun manufacturers and distributors to take steps to keep guns out of the hands of “dangerous individuals.” Bad news indeed comes in threes.

This is a continuing trend of anti-gun groups attacking on the state level instead of the federal. In the proverbial “death of a thousand cuts,” this new Washington “assault-weapon” ban is certainly a big one, but action is still taking place to fight it. Almost immediately after Gov. Inslee signed House Bill 1240 into law, the Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions.

“The State has enacted a flat prohibition on the manufacture, sale, import and distribution of many types of firearms, inaccurately labeled as ‘assault weapons,’ which are owned by millions of ordinary citizens across the country,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb in a press release. “In the process, the state has criminalized a common and important means of self-defense, the modern semiautomatic rifle. The state has put politics ahead of constitutional rights, and is penalizing law-abiding citizens while this legislation does nothing to arrest and prosecute criminals who misuse firearms in defiance of all existing gun control laws. It is absurd.”

Gottlieb sums it up perfectly; it is absurd. However, until it can be struck down in court, it is a reality that Washington citizens have to deal with. There is still a lot to unpack in these laws, so be sure to keep an eye out for detailed reports of the new law, along with coverage on how the new law will play out over the next few months. If you want to support the Second Amendment Foundation’s efforts in Washington, you can join the SAF here. 

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About the Author

Jack Oller is a U.S. Army veteran, having served in the Military Police with one deployment to the Camp VI Detention Facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has extensive firearms training from military and civilian schools and is a passoniate shotgun shooter and hunter. Jack has an English degree from Illinois State University, and he started his career in the outdoor industry as Associate Editor for Guns & Ammo magazine. After Gun & Ammo, he worked as Brand Manager for Crimson Trace and now is the Digital Editor for Firearms News.

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